Appia Road Segment 23

From GRAVINA IN PUGLIA (Silvium) to PALAGIANO (Ad Canales)

 
This segment crosses beautiful cultivated land, but does not preserve any historical finds.

Near Murgia Catena is supposed to have been the statio Blera, perhaps Farm Jesce, which others place near Altamura (**).

After Farm Jesce, the Appia-Tarantina road continues towards Castellaneta (**), passing through Farm Viglione and reaching Farm Candile, the probable site of the statio Sublupatia.

A beautiful modern majolica tile illustrating the route of the via Appia has been placed on the fountain of the Farm Candile.

Before Iazzo Semeraro (*) , an archaic burial ground excavated in the rock can be recognised.

After Farm Candile, the Appia road follows a difficult path towards Palagiano (Ad Canales) because it has to cross several ravines (*) (of Monte Camplo, of Santo Stefano, of Castellaneta, of Lenne).

Since each ravine today, due to flooding, has a different shape (width and depth) from Roman times, it is difficult to identify the point where a ford presumably existed.

Opposite Castellaneta, surrounded by a deep ravine, is the isolated Monte S. Trinità (411 m), the site of a Peucetic settlement (*) that was replaced by a Norman castle.

Having passed Castellaneta, a few kilometres from Palagiano we see a fine find near the SS7 – the modern Appia road.

It is a fine rectangular enclosure, known as the “Parete Pinto“, measuring 56 x 40 m, about 2 m deep in opus reticolatum (*), probably used as a sheep pen for the statio Ad Canales.

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in glossary.

are worth a visit.