As is customary, in the centre of Noci a square with a fountain (see photo) and here is also the daily slipper parade by the Noci males. The somewhat older men from the village start at the beginning of the day and sit together on a bench or walk in groups to and fro. The amount is growing towards the “holy” hour of lunch (01:00 pm) and then after the tiresome occupation hanging around on the square and eating lunch they must first rest a couple of hours. So in the afternoon they start all over again. This square is also the beginning of the weekly market on Tuesday morning. It is highly recommended to visit the market and see all the merchandise and the many verities of fruit and vegetables. Across the square you will find bar Pace which in summer has a cosy terrace that gives you a good view of the square. A cup of coffee and cornetto (croissant) is delicious, but also for an aperitivo before lunch or dinner or an artisan ice cream you’re quite o.k. here.
Noci is known for its fresh mozzarelle, square with fountain, the weekly market, tower of monastery Madonna della Scala.
The fountain was planned in 1882, but was completed only in 1916. It was restored in 2006. You see in the fountain three dolphins and that is giving a connection to spotting dolphins, which you can do from Taranto with nature preservers.
Just left of bar Pace the street that gives access to
The Old Town of Noci
Here you will find a number of restaurants that are very worthwhile visiting and about which more information can be found in the information folder which is located in each guest room. Furthermore, the small typical houses, delicious food smells, small unexpected dead end spots, the so-called. “Gnostre”. Formerly the streets ran through here, but through the years, when a new house was constructed arose these “Gnostre”. Very famous is the festival of new wine and roasted chestnuts “Bacco nelle Gnostre” that takes place the 1st weekend of November.
San Rocco, the patron saint of Noci.
Over the past 16 years, this festival has grown into one of the most important festivals of Apulia and in 2015 they were expecting more than 100,000 visitors. It’s about the new wine, roasted meat, roasted chestnuts, chocolate, mushrooms and legumes, not to mention the cosy atmosphere and lively traditional music. Buses with visitors from the region, the Nocesi and of course tourists come to this culinary festival. Even tourists from other European countries and from overseas. Outside the village there’s a parking and from there buses take you to the centre. It all takes place in the courtyards of the Centro Storico of Noci and of course around the square. There is a pleasant lively atmosphere and it is also the main Nocese festival.
Also very worthwhile your visit are the S. Giovianni serenades on the evening of the 23rd June.
If you go straight on from the square to the historic centre, you pass by the “Torre dell’Orologio” which was built in the 1st part of the 18th century in the oldest inhabited part of Noci and just beyond that on Piazza Plebiscito the Mother Church, dating back to the 12th century. If you stay with us in May, we encourage you to go and look at the first communions on a Sunday morning. All children and parents gather just beyond Piazza Plebiscito and then go in procession to the Mother Church. The child doing communion (about 11 or 12 years old) with a white lily walking between its parents. As with all major events here, mass is followed by a lunch that goes on for the whole afternoon and the communicant gets very expensive gifts from all the guests.
The blond boy at the photo is my grandson Pierre.
Noci other monuments
Halfway Villa Lavanda and Noci there is a left turn towards Abbazia Madonna della Scala, a monastery. This dates from 1930 and was built on the site where once was a Benedictine monastery. A Romanesque church from the 12th century has been preserved and is incorporated into the new church in 1952. It is a very important place for Catholics and it is possible to attend mass.
Here you can see the whole complex of the monastery. The monks restore books.
About 1 km. before you are arriving in Noci, in the middle of the road you find the sanctuary “Madonna della Croce” from the 15th century with a fresco of the Madonna and Child, also from the 15th century.
Just in Noci, at the 2nd roundabout you will find the “Chiesa (= church) dei Capucini” on your left. It dates back to the 16th century. When you drive from the cemetery in the direction of Monopoli, after about 6 km. you pass the “Chiesa di Barsento”. This church dates back to 512 AD.
There are plenty of activities in Noci.
Under the board NOCI you find written “Enogastronomia” and Noci proves its name! You can eat in so many places: from pizzeria to atmospheric local cuisine, Slow Food … something for everyone.
E-Bikes
A new feature are the E-bike excursions. There are 3 tours and they are suitable for experienced and less experienced cyclists. The excursions last from 04:00 pm to 07.00 pm, the distance is 13 km and they are accompanied by an English speaking guide, who will show you the best places that you otherwise would not see.
Included is always a demonstration of producing and tasting a local product. The price per person is € 35.00 and reservation is mandatory.
For more information about the tours, look here.
Here you’ll find more information about our Slow tourism arrangement for a stay without a car and with a (rental) bike, e-bike or hiking.
Wine tasting in Noci
New in the old town of Noci is wine tasting.
Not just any old wine, but very special wines from the region. The tasting is there by appointment. It costs 10 euros per person, but if you buy three bottles, the tasting is free. They also sell olive oil. We can make the appointment for you, but the owners also speak English. It is an Italian-American couple that lives near B & B Villa Lavanda. Here you can see more about this opportunity.
Via San Giovanni, 41
70015 Noci (Bari)
Puglia – Italy
Phone: +39 080 3434 872
email: a.mano@amanowine.com
For more activities in and around Noci you can watch here.
Our free app tells you more details on your stay with us and a lot of information about the area. Thanks to the built-in navigation it can bring you anywhere and it also brings you from the airport to Villa Lavanda.
