On March 22 and 23 2025, the conference “Di Marmo e di Pietra, cammini lapidei attraverso la Puglia,” organized by the Trani Archeoclub, “Antonio Piccinni” branch, was held at the “Beltrani” Palace of Arts in Trani.
The focus of the conference was on Apulian stone and the stone routes that have affected the region and its main quarrying centers, such as Apricena, Trani, the Murgia and Salento. From a geological point of view, the main Apulian stones and their architectural and artistic uses were discussed.
The conference began on Saturday, March 22, with institutional greetings from the Mayor of Trani, Amedeo Bottaro, the Councillor for Culture, Lucia De Mari, and the coordinator of the Bibliomuseum Poles of the Apulia Region, Luigi De Luca. Lawyer Innocente Cataldi, president of the National Archeoclub Commission, kicked off the proceedings, moderated by Trani Archeoclub president Anna Maria Minutilli.
The meeting offered a geological-geographical and artistic excursus having stone in its many uses and facets as a common thread. A contribution to the preservation and enhancement of the stone heritage, promoting a more careful reading of the Apulian rural landscape, in order to recover the historical-cultural values and encourage an approach to heritage tourism respecting the natural and cultural capital of the territory. Stone was treated across the board: geological, archaeological, artistic and literary.
The topics covered by the different speakers were understood as significant catalysts of identity and development for the enhancement of an area so rich in this characterizing element: stone in all its varieties. Accompanying the conference was an exhibition by the artist Pino Pascali, having stone as its main theme.
The project was conceived by the president of the Trani branch of Archeoclub, Anna Maria Minutilli, with the contribution of MIC, Directorate General for Education, Research and Cultural Institutes, and the patronage of the Apulia Region, Polo Bibliomuseali, Central Institute of Restoration, University of Girona, Templa Officina di Studi Medievali, Italian Association of Public History, Academy of Fine Arts of Foggia, Bari Polytechnic University and National Archeoclub, in partnership with the Department of Cultures of the City of Trani and the Beltrani Palace of Arts.