Modugno

Discover Modugno

In 1316, King Robert of Anjou confirmed Modugno’s privilege of holding a free fair, recognising this community on the Bari plain as a commercial hub that few centres of similar size could claim. Today, first-time visitors find a compact old town, gathered around Romanesque churches and noble palaces, surrounded by the orderly expanse of olive groves that mark the landscape towards the Adriatic. With its 36,224 inhabitants and an altitude of 79 metres above sea level, Modugno lies just a few kilometres from Bari, yet retains a distinct and legible urban identity.

This guide on what to see in Modugno brings together the places, flavours and practical information needed to plan a well-informed visit.

History and origins of Modugno

The etymology of the name remains a matter of debate among scholars. The most widely accepted hypothesis traces it to the Latin Meduneum or Modunium, possibly rooted in a pre-Roman term indicating a place in a median position, perhaps referring to its location between the Adriatic coast and the Murgia hinterland. Other interpretations, less supported by documentation, have proposed a derivation from Greek or Lombard. The place name first appears in written form in a Norman document from the 11th century, a period when the settlement already had a defensive structure and religious buildings.

The documented history of Modugno is intertwined with the events of Norman-Swabian rule in Puglia. In 1098, a diploma issued by Roger Borsa attests to the existence of the hamlet and the church dedicated to Santa Maria. Under Frederick II of Swabia, in the first half of the 13th century, the town consolidated its urban layout. The aforementioned Angevin privilege of 1316 marked an economic turning point, transforming Modugno into a trading hub between the Bari coast and the inland areas.

In the 15th century, the town passed under the control of various feudal families — the Del Balzo Orsini, then the Ferrillo and the Spinelli — who altered its architectural layout with the construction of noble palaces and the restoration of the walls.

Among the notable figures linked to Modugno is Domenico Morea, a 19th-century historian and archivist, author of important studies on Apulian monastic documentation. Modern population growth has transformed the town into a populous urban centre, now joined to the metropolitan fabric of Bari, but the old core has preserved its medieval layout with narrow alleyways, passage arches and internal courtyards. The historic centre, still partly bounded by the town walls, displays legible layers from the Romanesque period to the Baroque, offering visitors a chronological itinerary through nearly a thousand years of Apulian architectural history.

What to see in Modugno: 5 top attractions

1. Chiesa Matrice di Santa Maria Annunziata

Located at the core of the old town, the Chiesa Matrice is the main religious building in Modugno. The original structure dates to the 12th century, but its current appearance is the result of successive interventions between the 16th and 18th centuries. The façade features a decorated Renaissance portal and a rose window recalling Romanesque models. The three-nave interior houses Baroque altars in local stone, paintings from the Neapolitan school and a 16th-century baptismal font. The bell tower, visible from various points in the town, serves as a visual landmark for navigating the network of alleyways. It is the place to begin any visit.

2. Church and Convent of San Francesco d’Assisi

Founded in the 14th century, the Franciscan complex stands in the southern part of the historic core. The church has a sober façade, consistent with the aesthetic of the mendicant orders, while the interior contains a cycle of fragmentary frescoes and a main altar in carved stone. The convent cloister, with its portico of depressed arches, offers a space of great proportional balance. The building underwent restoration during the 17th century but retains legible traces of the original Gothic structure. For centuries, the convent played a central social and cultural role in the life of the Modugno community.

3. Palazzo Ferrante

Palazzo Ferrante, overlooking one of the main squares in the historic centre, is a significant example of Apulian noble architecture between the Renaissance and early Baroque. The building stands out for its rusticated portal, balconies with carved corbels and an internal courtyard with a loggia. The Ferrante family held a prominent role in local administration between the 16th and 17th centuries. Today the palazzo hosts cultural activities and serves as a reference point for understanding the evolution of aristocratic residential fabric in a mid-sized centre of the Terra di Bari. The afternoon light brings out the details of its limestone masonry.

4. Clock Tower and town walls

The Clock Tower, erected in its current form between the 18th and 19th centuries, stands at the site of one of the gates into the old town. It functioned as an element regulating civic and commercial life. Around it, sections of the medieval town walls are still visible, partly incorporated into later dwellings. Walking the perimeter of the walls allows you to identify the points where the urban gates once stood — at least three are documented — and to observe the difference between the squared stone of the earliest phases and modern additions. It is an itinerary that takes approximately thirty minutes on foot.

5. Chiesa della Madonna Addolorata

This church, linked to one of Modugno’s two patron saint festivals — that of 10 March — stands a short distance from the Chiesa Matrice. Built in the 18th century, it has a single-nave interior with stucco decorations and a wooden statue of the Addolorata that is the focus of strong popular devotion. During the 10 March procession, the statue is carried through the streets of the town in a rite involving the entire community. The façade, simple but well-proportioned, opens onto a small churchyard that on summer evenings becomes a gathering place.

It is a building worth visiting to understand the relationship between sacred space and daily life in Modugno.

What to eat in Modugno: local cuisine and traditional products

The cuisine of Modugno belongs to the gastronomic tradition of the Terra di Bari, where extra-virgin olive oil, durum wheat, wild greens and sheep’s meat form the basis of a repertoire consolidated over centuries. The town’s position on the coastal plain, just a few kilometres from the sea and the first ridges of the Murgia plateau, has fostered a cuisine that combines coastal and inland ingredients. The masserie surrounding the town sustained a self-sufficient food system, based on the direct processing of agricultural products. The influence of nearby Bari is evident in the preparation of fresh pasta, particularly orecchiette and cavatelli, dressed with turnip tops or meat ragù.

Among the dishes most deeply rooted in domestic tradition, Acquasale (PAT) holds a prominent place: it is a humble preparation based on stale bread soaked in hot water, seasoned with fresh tomatoes, raw onion, oregano and olive oil, sometimes finished with an egg. It was the meal of farmers in the fields during summer, when the heat made prolonged cooking unthinkable. Roast lamb is another well-established preparation, linked to Easter festivities and family celebrations: Agnello al forno con patate alla leccese (PAT), though associated with the Salento tradition, circulates in local variants across the Bari area too, where potatoes are layered with cherry tomatoes and pecorino cheese.

The Apulian territory boasts an extensive catalogue of Traditional Agri-Food Products (PAT) that reach the tables of Modugno.

Wild asparagus (PAT), gathered in the fields and along dry-stone walls between February and April, is eaten in frittata, steamed or preserved in oil — the Asparagus in oil (PAT) variant is a staple of Apulian family pantries, prepared with garlic, white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. On the sweet side, Africani (PAT) are small biscuits filled with almond paste and cocoa, coated in dark chocolate, typical of the Bari confectionery tradition. Agnello alla gravinese (PAT), stewed with vegetables and cheese, is a hinterland preparation also found in butchers’ shops and restaurants in the Modugno area.

The best time to taste these specialities coincides with the patron saint festivals in September, when on the Monday following the fourth Sunday of the month the neighbourhoods set up stalls and food stands along the streets of the historic centre, in honour of San Nicola da Tolentino and San Rocco. The weekly market in Modugno offers stalls of local fruit and vegetables, fresh cheeses and semolina bread. Educational farms in the surrounding area, reachable in just a few minutes by car, offer tastings of new-season oil during the milling period, between October and November.

As for beverages, Modugno falls within the production area of Primitivo di Puglia and red wines based on Negroamaro and Nero di Troia, widespread in the province of Bari.

Amaro del Gargano (PAT), made with aromatic herbs from the Gargano Mediterranean scrubland, is found in local bars as a traditional digestif. Anisetta (PAT), a sweet anise-based liqueur, has accompanied the after-lunch coffee in Apulian homes for generations. Among sweet liquid preparations, Ambrosia di limone (PAT), a cold cream made from lemons and sugar, closes summer meals.

When to visit Modugno: the best time

Spring, between March and May, is the most suitable period for a visit. Temperatures range from 12 to 22 degrees, the countryside is in full bloom and on 10 March the feast of the Madonna Addolorata is celebrated, with a procession through the historic centre. In spring, wild asparagus is at the peak of its harvesting season, and restaurants feature it on their menus. Summer brings the typical temperatures of the Bari plain — often exceeding 30 degrees between July and August — but evenings are enlivened by open-air cultural events, concerts and outdoor cinema screenings.

The central date in the calendar is the patron saint festival of San Nicola da Tolentino and San Rocco, which falls on the Monday following the fourth Sunday of September: the town comes alive with illuminations, processions, a marching band and market stalls.

September and October, with falling temperatures and the start of the olive harvest, offer ideal conditions for those who wish to explore without the pressure of summer tourism. Winter is mild — temperatures rarely drop below 5 degrees — and Christmas brings living nativity scenes and markets in the streets of the centre. For those seeking quiet and lower prices, January and February are the least busy months.

How to reach Modugno

Modugno is easily reached by car from the A14 Bologna–Taranto motorway, exiting at Bari Nord or Bari Ovest, from which the centre is approximately 5–8 kilometres along the provincial road. From Bari the journey is just 10 km heading south-west, taking around 15 minutes. From Taranto the distance is approximately 90 km (just over an hour), from Lecce approximately 170 km (one hour and forty minutes), from Foggia approximately 140 km (one hour and thirty minutes). The connection with the Bari ring road makes Modugno an accessible hub from all main Apulian routes.

The Modugno railway station, served by Ferrovie del Nord Barese (now Ferrotramviaria), connects the town to Bari in approximately 15 minutes with frequent services throughout the day.

Bari-Karol Wojtyła Airport is just 5 kilometres away — one of the shortest airport-to-town distances in Puglia — and can be reached by taxi or shuttle bus in under 10 minutes. This proximity makes Modugno a particularly convenient base for anyone landing in Bari and planning to explore the province. The official website of the Municipality of Modugno publishes updated information on transport and local road conditions.

Other villages to discover in Puglia

Visitors to Modugno wishing to extend their exploration towards northern Puglia can reach Ordona, in the upper Tavoliere, approximately 140 km away (one hour and forty minutes by car). Ordona stands on the site of ancient Herdonia, a Roman city along the Via Traiana, and preserves an archaeological area with the remains of an amphitheatre, baths and houses with mosaic floors.

If Modugno represents the Puglia of medieval towns close to the coast, Ordona tells the story of the region’s Roman and late-antique phase, offering a significant chronological complement. A combined visit allows travellers to cross the Apulian landscape from the olive groves of the Bari area to the wheat fields of the Tavoliere.

At a similar distance, approximately 160 km to the north-west, Torremaggiore offers an itinerary through feudal architecture and the cultural heritage of the Capitanata. The town is linked to the memory of Frederick II and preserves the De Sangro ducal castle, an imposing 15th-century structure with cylindrical towers and an internal courtyard.

Combining Modugno, Ordona and Torremaggiore in a three- or four-day itinerary allows you to read Puglia in all its variety: from the Romanesque of the Terra di Bari to the rural estates of the Tavoliere, through to the feudal system of the Daunia. The route runs entirely along state roads and motorway, with transfer times that leave ample room for stops in the villages along the way.