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00 Acquaviva Delle Fonti
Stemma di Acquaviva delle Fonti

Apulia · Bari

Acquaviva delle Fonti

A Murge town between Bari and the Itria valley, named for its springs and a DOP red onion.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
30 min from Bari
By train
Station in the comune
Population
19,938

Known for

  • RED ONION DOP

    Cipolla rossa di Acquaviva, sweet and deep purple, grown only in local clay soils and protected by DOP since 2014.

  • SANT'EUSTACHIO

    Norman co-cathedral of 1158, rebuilt by the Acquaviva counts, with a sixteen-arm rose window unique in Puglia.

  • MIULLI HOSPITAL

    Ecclesiastical regional hospital, one of the largest in Puglia, a Vatican-linked institution that draws patients from across the south.

  • MOZZARELLA DI GIOIA DEL COLLE

    The commune lies inside the Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle DOP production zone.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J12°
  • F14°
  • M14°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J29°
  • J32°
  • A32°
  • S27°
  • O22°
  • N17°
  • D13°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Acquaviva delle Fonti sits on the Murge plateau, twenty-five kilometers south of Bari and the same distance from the Adriatic. The name records the springs that fed the town long before the Normans arrived. The Co-Cathedral of Sant'Eustachio was built in 1158 on Messapian foundations by the Norman lord Roberto Gurguglione, then rebuilt in Renaissance style in the late sixteenth century by Count Alberto Acquaviva d'Aragona; its façade carries a sixteen-arm rose window that is the building's signature.

The Palazzo de Mari, now the town hall, anchors the centro storico opposite the cathedral. The town is best known nationally for the cipolla rossa di Acquaviva, a sweet DOP red onion grown only in local clay-rich soils and celebrated with a late-July sagra and a mid-October festival built around the calzone di cipolla. The ecclesiastical Miulli hospital, one of the largest in Puglia, sits at the edge of town.

The Sunday letter

Acquaviva delle Fonti is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Acquaviva delle Fonti comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Acquaviva delle Fonti in our articles

How to get there

From Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 36 minutes by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3h 22m away.

By car from the centre of Bari 30 minutes, Lecce 2h 13m or Salerno 3 hours.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Bari?

Coming by train into Bari Centrale? Acquaviva delle Fonti is about 33 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Bari / Brindisi airport.

Acquaviva delle Fonti, photo 1
Acquaviva delle Fonti, photo 2

What to see

  • Concattedrale di Sant'Eustachio

    Romanesque cathedral of 1158 rebuilt in Renaissance style by the Acquaviva d'Aragona counts, with a sixteen-arm rose window over the central portal.

  • Palazzo de Mari

    Sixteenth-century noble residence on the cathedral square, now the town hall, built by the de Mari family after they acquired the fief.

  • Centro storico

    Walled old town on the Murge plateau, organized around the cathedral and the palazzo, with stone houses and the springs that gave the place its name.

  • Sagra della Cipolla Rossa

    Late-July festival of the DOP red onion, the town's signature crop, with a sister October festival built around the calzone di cipolla.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Acquaviva delle Fonti fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

  • Sagra del Calzonefood festival

    usually held in October. sagritaly.com

Living here

  • Population 19,938
  • A local hubi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Bari / Brindisi, 36 min drive
  • Regional capital Bari, 30 min drive

Common questions

What is Acquaviva delle Fonti known for?
Acquaviva delle Fonti is a Murge town at 300 meters between Bari and the Itria valley, named for its springs and a DOP red onion.
Where is Acquaviva delle Fonti?
Acquaviva delle Fonti is a comune in the province of Bari, in Apulia.
What is the nearest airport to Acquaviva delle Fonti?
Bari / Brindisi (BRI), about 36 minutes by car.
Can you get to Acquaviva delle Fonti without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Bari to Acquaviva delle Fonti?
About 30 minutes by car.
When is the best time to visit Acquaviva delle Fonti?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and March the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Acquaviva delle Fonti?
Yes. Sagra del Calzone. October is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Acquaviva delle Fonti?
Castellaneta, Castellana Grotte and Casamassima.
How many people live in Acquaviva delle Fonti?
19,938 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 300 m
  • Population: 19,938
  • Surface area: 132.03 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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