Putignano is located in the province of Bari and is known throughout the world as the city of Carnival.
In Putignano, for more than 620 years, the most famous Carnival in southern Italy and the oldest in Europe has been held from late January to early February, with floats and masks made entirely of papier-mâché.
The floats generally deal with topics related to satire, politics, and morality, while the masks satirically deal with topics related to the local political environment. The mascot of the Putignano Carnival is the town mask, Farinella. The latter takes its name from a local peasant dish. The ‘Casa di Farinella’ houses miniature floats from all past editions.
Putignano also has a wonderful church, dedicated to St Peter the Apostle. It has a fine façade and inside you can admire the works of local artist Stefano da Putignano.
The guided tour of Putignano can be combined, for a full day tour, with that of Alberobello.