A Day Trip to Casamassima

Mention the name Casamassima to anyone in the local area and more often than note you'll get the response, "Oh, that's where the IKEA is located!" IKEA is what put Cassamissima on the map so to speak, because before that the town of Casamassima was what it was: an interesting medieval town that remained off the beaten path.

The addition of IKEA and the mega-mall that surrounds about 5 years ago is not necessarily a bad thing. You can easily visit the Casamassima Centro Storico in the morning for a few hours and then take in the mall/IKEA in the afternoon if you feel so inclined. And if you're NOT feeling so inclined, not to worry: there's still plenty to see.

Casamassima sits in the Bari Province of the Puglia Region of and is part of a chain of must-see small towns that include Locorotondo, Alberobello, Altamura and Grottaglie. And like many of these small towns, in its day, Casamassima fell under the reign of a number of feudal leaders.

According to the casamassima website, Emperor Frederico II (Frederico Massimi) who left his stamp on much of the South and took claim of Casamassima during his feud with the Normans was granted the township by then emperor Enrico VI in 1195. Once the feuding ended, and the Massimi Family obtained possession of the town it also bore his name. Break it down for yourself: the name Casamassima roughly is meant to mean house (Casa) of Massimi (Massama).

All this history is well and good, but that's not why you're going to visit the town of Casamassima. The town has in fact some very unique points-of-interest that will keep your attention. Here are a few of my favorites:

Arch of Shadows: Also known as Arch of Bad Shadows and known as the rendezvous point of ghosts, spirits and anything else that goes bump-in-the-night. I have been here any times: during the day, in the evening and have never seen any ghosts. But as urban legends go, located directly above this particular spot is an apartment that belonged to the first municipal physician of Casamassima, and apparently he wielded a pretty mean scalpel. Hence a whole bunch of ghosts.

Door Clock: What remains of the surrounding wall that kept the bad guys out and everyone else in, has a few of the original entrance ways. This is one of them.

Abbey of Saint Angelo - Near the foot of Mount Sannace, a humble Benedictine convent was built in about 1000 AD. St. Angelo Abbey was a part of the Castle of the Centurion - The former grounds for which Abbey St. Angelo was constructed.

These locations and others are mapped out in and around the Centro Storico, just follow the signs.

Keep in mind that Casamassima is small (less than 13,000 inhabitants at last count) and as such there aren't a lot of places to eat. One of the few is the Ostoria Atrium located right inside the Centro Storico (Via Angelo Pende, 39, Tel 080.672356). Keep in mind that an ostoria is even smaller than a trattoria. So be prepared - the Atrium is a real mom and pop kind of place. But the food is good and the prices are low.

Despite the modern conveniences of the 21st century, the medieval town of Casamassima has done its best to hold on to its identity. Casamassima is another hidden gem in the crown jewel better known as the Puglia region. If you get down to this neck of the woods I urge you to check it out.