Highlights:

Discover the village of Oria, orange flag Touring club

Visit the cathedral with the Crypt of the Mummies

Explore the mighty walls of the medieval castle

Tour details:

The guided tour will develop in the historic center of Oria, a magnificent medieval village that is still not fully appreciated today.

The tour starts from one of the three gateways to the city, the Jewish gate, and takes you to discover the Giudecca, the Jewish quarter that became prosperous and thriving in the 9th century.

The tour continues with the visit of several noble and ecclesiastical palaces such as Palazzo Vescovile, Palazzo Martini, Palazzo dei Missionari and the Sedile.

Another important stop will be the visit of the Cathedral Basilica, built in baroque style in the eighteenth century after having demolished the pre-existing medieval church. You can admire the bell tower and clock tower with the characteristic dome covered with polychrome tiles.

Inside it will be possible to visit the Oratory of the Confraternity of Death and Crypt of the Mummies, an oratory of 1500 where the mummified cadavers of some confreres are still preserved. The living room has a barrel vault and the floor is in clay on which there are three trap doors that allow access to the underground tunnels, which lead to the Palomba Tower. There are 11 mummies left to us, all dating back to the 19th century.

Outside you will visit the Messapian necropolis until you reach the outside of the castle, of Norman manufacture or earlier, dominates the highest part of the city and is its symbol.

The castle has the shape of a triangle with the Sperone tower, facing north. Then there is the keep (probably Norman-Swabian) and two further cylindrical towers: “of the jump” and “of the knight”. Currently the house is private and can be visited only on pre-established dates.

Do not miss the Torneo dei Riono challenge in August, since 1967, is the most important historical-medieval event in southern Italy. The challenge involves the four districts of the city: Judea, Castello, S. Basilio and Lama.