When art is outdoor, the example of Troia (Foggia)

Today I am going to visit the Cathedral of Troia, an unbeatable example of Romanico-Pugliese.

I take advantage of the fact that I am located on temporary basis in Manfredonia.

In order to reach Troia, I head to Foggia.

Troia was called Troja till the beginning of the last century. It has the same name of the Homeric town Troy.

However, during the Roman age, its name was Aecae. Then, In 1019, the Byzantine Catapano Basilio 

Bojoannes, changed it to Troia, after having rebuilt the town destroyed by the war between Longobards and Byzantines.

After having reached Foggia, I follow the indications for Troia, which is actually just 13 miles beyond Foggia.

While I drive on, I realize that the landscape is changing. Troia is located on the Monti Dauni.

I see around hills, covered by vineyards.

Uva di Troia is a red wine grape from which is made the fruity wine Nero di Troia. This grape is cultivated mainly in the provinces of Foggia and BAT.

As I am few miles from Troia, I see two men awaiting a bus. They look like workers, and they are probably tired.

Therefore, I stop there. Then, I look at the rear-view mirror.

They seem to hesitate, so I just drive in reverse to ask them if they need a lift.

“yes please” they say.

Once in, they enquiry: “where do you come from?” I reply: “I come from Manfredonia. I am just heading to Troia to see its renowned cathedral.”

They look pretty glad of having been picked up.

We start talking about wine and olive oil.

The younger, Renato says: “I choose carefully what I eat. Do you read the news?” He adds: “some people work their entire life, then, they die as soon as they retire. I believe, this is due to the fact the there is an abuse of agrochemicals.” He says.

Once in Troia, Renato offers me a coffee to return the favor.

“go straight on, the cathedral is just 5 minutes walking” he says.

I have always liked people from the countryside or small villages. They have a sense of humanity that it is rare to find in the big city.

Once in front the cathedral, I gape myself.

I had never seen so far a rosone as beautiful as this one.

It seems to be made of silk or cotton, and not of stone.

What strikes me is the alternating color of the stones, white and green.

Symbols are everywhere: stars, crescent-shaped and so on.

Another interesting element of this church is represented by the two bronze doors, which are very unusual in Italy.

I spent almost one hour contemplating the cathedral.

From my point of view, this is the most beautiful example of Romanico-Pugliese so far.

If you wish to see more pictures, please click here