ALTAMURA ITALY
LAND OF MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
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1.-2. Front entrance of Altamura Cathedral, built by Frederick II in 1232 and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1316. As I rounded the corner approaching the cathedral, I was thrilled to see the "two big Lions" at the door. My grandmother had told me of these Lions at the door of the church which she attended as a child and was married there in 1902. I was at a place my maternal grandmother had been many times. I had made a connection to my family's past. 3.-Lion on left side. Commissioned by Bishop Niccolo Sapio, these lions were sculpted by Master Antonio Da Andria in 1533. 4.-Lion on right side. 5.-Painting in passage to courtyard. 6.-View from Courtyard. 7.-Right rear of Cathedral and Clock tower. 8.-Right side entrance. 9.-Monument to the fallen of May 8 1799, by Arnoldo Zacchi in the Cathedral plaza. 10.-Entrance to Courtyard located to left of main entrance doors. 11.-Lou in city park. 12.-Another view of park. 13.-View of street on which Cathedral is located. The name RONCHI on Cafe on right is also my grandmothers maiden name. Perhaps this is a relative! 14.-Typical street in Altamura. 15.-View of part of old city wall. Altamura means "High Wall" in Italian, and this wall once protected the town. Now apartments have been built into remaining parts of the wall.
For superb photos of the Cathedral and Altamura see Mr. Vito Barone's Web site. He is a resident of Altamura, an engineer, and a great photographer. He has been a friend, meeting via the Web. CLICK HERE