Minting its own coinage in the first century BC, this northern Salento town wielded serious ancient influence. Herodotus noted that Cretans originally founded the settlement as Hyria before it became the Messapian political capital. Today, Oria is home to 15,228 residents, anchoring the Apulian hills with deep archaeological roots.
The medieval center unfolds through a tight network of narrow alleys and steep stone steps. At the summit sits a Swabian Castle, built by Frederick II with an unusual ship-like footprint. These streets also hosted a thriving Jewish community during the first millennium, adding another cultural layer to a town that has served as a Catholic diocese since the late 1500s.
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📅 Every year, on 30 August; the Torneo dei Rioni (Palio di Oria) re-enacts the town's Norman and Swabian history
Oria celebrates Saint Barsanuphius on 30 August; the town is known for the Torneo dei Rioni, also called the Palio di Oria, which re-enacts the era when the town, conquered in 1062 by Robert Guiscard, was later granted as a fief in 1190 by Tancred of Lecce.
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