Brindisi, the door to the Orient

Yesterday night, at 10 pm, I went to the concert of Beppe Barra, a Neapolitan artist.

The concert was held in Brindisi, in front of the scalinata virgiliana, where the Roman poet Virgilio is said to have spent his last days.

Bethween one song and another, the artist said: “When I talk with my students about the difficult times we are currently living, I always tell them that the only thing which can preserve us is culture”.

I fully agree with him.

Before the concert, I visited the Archeological Museum “F. Ribezzo" of Brindisi.

The guides explained with passion the very long history of Brindisi.

On Saturday night, the entry is free to most of the Apulian musuems and historical buildings.

Thank to the project discovering Puglia, the Apulian region welcomes turisists by offering them a wide range of initiatives in fields such as:

• art and culture
• nature and sport
• rituals and traditions
• countryside and fine foods.

The word “Brindisi” comes from the messapic (pre-roman) word brunda, which means “stag head”. 

Therefore, its name comes from its topographical shape.

Brindisi was part of the Messapic civilization, which included the entire Salento. 

The Messapics were part of the Iapyges, a population which came from the western part of Balkans.

The Archeological Museum hosts a very interesting exhibition.

Particularly, it shows the biggest trozzella ever discovered so far.

Moreover, there is an entire section dedicated to awesome bronze statues found in the sea around Brindisi.

Yesterday, the guide said something which astonished me. 

In other words, the oldest homo sapiens discovered so far in Europe has been found in Apulia.

Brindisi has amazing monuments and buildings which prove the key role it has played in the past.

Close to the airport, there a fantastic example of Gothic-Angevin, represented by the S. Maria del Casale church. 

The frescos painted inside the church are breathless.

In the inner city there is an amazing Templar church, San Giovanni al Sepolcro.

The knights templar used to sail for the Holy land from the port of Brindisi.

The church has circular shape.

It a faithful copy of the Rotunda or Anastasis in Jerusalem.

The gate is rich of symbolic elements.

Brindisi is easly reached thank to its international airport, and high speed train lines.

I dedicate this post to Gianna, a friend of mine, a pride brindisina who today celebrates her birthday