The city was founded by thePeucetii, and its inhabitants referred to by the Greek settlers of the region asButontinoi, an ethnonym of uncertain derivation.[4] According to one tradition, the city was named after Botone, anIllyrian king. Its first city wall can be dated to the fifth to fourth centuries BC; traces remain in the foundations of the Norman walling.
Similarities ofcoinage suggest that Bitonto was under the hegemony of SpartanTarentum, but bearing the numismatic legendBITONTINON. Later, having been a Roman ally in theSamnite Wars, thecivitas Butuntinenses became aRomanmunicipium, preserving its former laws and self-government and venerating its divine protectress, whom the Romans identified byinterpretatio romana asMinerva; the site sacred to her is occupied by the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli. As a city of the Late Roman Empire, Bitonto figures in theLiber Colonis of Frontinus, in theAntonine Itinerary and other Imperial itineraries, and theTabula Peutingeriana, a post where fresh horses were to be had for travellers on theVia Traiana forBrundisium.
The foundations of aPaleochristian basilica came to light in excavations beneath the cathedral's crypt, but no written evidence survives of an established diocese in theEarly Middle Ages. Though there is no evidence that a Lombardgastaldo had his seat at Bitonto, Lombard customs and law insinuated themselves deeply in local social fabric.
During the 9th century, Bitonto successfully withstood a Saracen raid, in which the besiegers' leader was killed beneath the city's walls[5] Bitonto took part in the revolt ofMelus of Bari in 1009.
In the Middle Ages Bitonto was a fief of several baronial families, before it passed permanently in the thirteenth century to the Acquaviva, who took their name from their stronghold atAcquaviva delle Fonti:[6] The Acquaviva were later dukes of Atri, and their minor signory of Bitonto was raised to a marquisate in 1464 by the King of Naples,Ferrante di Aragona in favour of Giovanni Antonio Acquaviva; on his premature death it passed to his brother, the successful and cultivatedcondottieroAndrea Matteo Acquaviva, who exchanged it in 1487 for the marquessate of Ugento, which he subsequently lost.[7] In 1552 the citizens paid for the city's freedom the considerable sum of 66,000 ducats.
On September 6, 1928 the village of the Holy Spirit, the only access to the coast and the subject of border disputes between the two cities since the Thirteenth century, it passed to the municipality of Bari. The territory stolen had a surface area of about 16 square kilometers.
The city includes a medieval burg and a modern area.
The main landmarks include:
The Castle and the walls
The RomanesqueBitonto Cathedral (Cattedrale di S. Valentino), built in the 11th-12th centuries and influenced by theBasilica of San Nicola inBari. The west façade is divided in three parts and has three portals, the central one sculpted with vegetables motifs and scenes from the Old Testament, fourmullioned windows and arose window flanked by sculptures of animals supported by small columns. The interior has a nave and two aisles: the main artwork is the marble ambo (1229), a masterwork of medieval Apulian sculpture.
The church ofSan Francesco (12th century). It was built in 1283 over a pre-existing Roman fortification, to celebrate the 1222 visit of St. Francis of Assisi. It has kept the original late-Romanesque façade, flanked by a 16th-century bell tower. The portal has figures ofbovine animals, probably an allusion to the founder family of the church,Bove. It is surmounted by a triplemullioned window. The interior has some frescoes and 16th-century altars.
Bitonto is well known for its production of extra virginolive oil, which is exported to America and elsewhere in Europe. The city also produces wine, beer, cereals, almonds, and textiles.
Recently, Bitonto has also become a popular tourist destination.[8] It has hosted theBeat Onto Jazz Festival since 2001.[9]
^Градови партнери [City of Banja Luka - Partner cities].Administrative Office of the City of Banja Luka (in Serbian). Archived fromthe original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved9 August 2013.
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