Discover the sky and the myths it contains! 

Attested at about 360 meters above sea level, on the pediment that separates the North-West from the South-East Murge, Gioia del Colle rises halfway between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic, at almost the same distance from the center of Basilicata of Matera and from the Apulian centers of Bari and Taranto. Discover all the cultural activities available right now and buy your ticket directly online (safely and with just a few clicks!).


Gioia del Colle

The ticket for the event does NOT include the entrance to the Park. PLEASE NOTE: on the occasion of the "European Night of Museums" on May 17th from 8:00 pm the entrance ticket to the Park is €1 for all visitors.

ACCESS TO THE PARK

The ticket for the event "With a look at the sky" and the entrance ticket to the Archaeological Park can only be purchased ONLINE.

ONLINE PURCHASE

In case of bad weather the event will be cancelled. All participants will be notified and refunded accordingly.

BAD WEATHER

**Mount Sannace illuminated by the light of the stars**: join us and live an experience that will catapult you into a new reality to discover the ancient **stories and legends hidden behind each constellation**. 

Through the **sophisticated telescopes** made available you will have the opportunity to observe the sky, accompanied by the narration of the speakers of the Planetarium of Bari, who will reveal the secrets of the universe. 



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III^ edition

Looking to the sky

Monte Sannace Archaeological Park, at 33 hectares the largest in Apulia, contains one of the largest pre-Roman settlements of ancient Peucezia. 

**Two centuries of excavations**

Located on the last foothills of the eastern Murge at 382 metres above sea level, the hill of Monte Sannace is in a fortunate geographical position, halfway between Bari and Taranto, at the centre of an **important junction** of ancient road systems. The area's archaeological potential was already known in the 18th century, but it was not until 1929 that regular excavation campaigns began, directed first by Michele Gervasio, then in the 1960s by Bianca Maria Scarfì (from 1957 to 1961) and by Ettore Maria De Juliis in the 1970s, and conducted from 1994 to the present by the University of Bari.

**The reconstruction of the ancient city through archaeological digs**

Digs confirm the city was frequented from the 9th century B.C. to the 11th century A.D., with the heyday being between the 6th and 3rd centuries B.C. Finds have enabled us to document how dwellings developed from huts made of perishable material to houses with a regular plan built of stone, wood and unbaked bricks. Archaeology records the expansion of the town area during the 4th century B.C., in coincidence with the site's increased **political and commercial importance**. In this period the local population appeared to be stratified and socially differentiated. It populated a growing city space, marked out by a series of walls built between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., now encompassing the low-lying areas to the east and west of the acropolis. 

**The Archaeological itinerary**

The Park can be visited following two itineraries: one archaeological and one naturalistic, which depart from the Masseria Montanaro near the main entrance. The archaeological itinerary allows visitors to observe the **structures of the ancient city**, with the living areas characterised by examples of megaron, pastàs and peristyle houses, with tombs scattered about the urban space (in particular chest tombs, sarcophagi and semi-chamber tombs). The tour begins at the north gate, located in the second circuit of walls, and continues along the city fortifications and through the ancient road systems to the acropolis area, where the aristocratic dwellings, decorated tombs and monumental buildings of a community nature are located. 

**The Naturalistic itinerary**

The second itinerary reveals the site’s **naturalistic peculiarities**. This route runs between the plain and the hillside, passing through archaeological digs and rural areas, before ending in a scenic zone with a view of the surrounding territory. In an environment characterised by scrubland and small wooded areas populated by trees of downy and fragno (quercus trojana) it is possible to observe plants such as the asphodel and green ophrys that bloom in the springtime.

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Monte Sannace Archaeological Park

A Park between Archaeology and Nature


Monte Sannace Archaeological Park, at 33 hectares the largest in Apulia, contains one of the largest pre-Roman settlements of ancient Peucezia, hypothetically identified as the Thuriae apula mentioned by Livy and Pliny the Elder.


Looking to the sky

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