The Municipality of Altamura has signed an agreement with the Parish of S. Maria Assunta in the city to guarantee its extended opening from the next summer months, in what is the “Open Doors Cathedral” project.
In the budget session of 13 and 14 March, the Assizes approved the financial measure, already approved by the municipal council, to which variations were added based on proposed amendments. Among these, under the impetus and proposal of the Second Council Commission “Personal services, social services, culture, public education, sport and leisure”, the majority had proposed to the Council and voted the allocation of 10,000 euros, as a contribution, to the in order to carry out this initiative. The proposal aims to enhance the Cathedral as a central pillar for its historical and architectural characteristics, in the flow of tourists and pilgrims, precisely in the period in which the city is heavily frequented in conjunction with the summer season, the Marian holidays and the Christmas holidays.
In order to achieve these objectives, the two bodies have established that, in the period between 15 June and 31 December of the year 2024, the opening hours of the Cathedral will be as follows:
from Monday to Friday, from 8.00 to 13.00 and from 15.00 to 20.00
Saturday and Sunday from 8.00 to 13.00 and from 15.00 to 22.00
for an overall increase in opening hours of 72 hours per month.
Furthermore, it is the intention of the Petronella Administration to guarantee and launch tourist routes accessible to all and consolidation processes with the parishes of the city, even in the suburbs, aimed at increasing the commitment in the territory and the attention paid to younger people, families and to the most fragile. In this sense, we are proceeding to stipulate structural memoranda of understanding with the Diocese to identify study spaces and also places of welcome, play and socialization for families within the parish areas.
