Surroundings

In Valle d’Itria, located in the heart of Puglia, you will have the opportunity to live authentic experiences in direct contact with the landscape, art, history, culture, and flavors of the Apulian tradition. PROPOSED ITINERARIES:
No visit to Puglia can ignore visiting the Itria Valley and its pearls:

Ostuni, the “White City”, which overlooks the panorama of centuries-old olive trees. Its historic center is very charming, dating back to the Middle Ages, and characterized by narrow, winding streets that lead to the majestic Cathedral in late Romanesque-Gothic style with a Baroque interior.

Locorotondo is a wonderful circular village with houses with sloping roofs but above all a city of wine.

Martina Franca, a sumptuous Baroque town, full of noble palaces and fascinating Baroque and Rococo monuments, also known as little Lecce.

Cisternino, a small village among the most beautiful in Italy of ancient foundation, rises in the center of the valley by the hands of the Cistercian monks who gave their name to the town which according to popular tradition will never end. Known for the grilled meat that can be tasted directly in the alleys of the ancient village.

Alberobello

(recognized in 1996 by the U.N.E.S.C.O. as a World Heritage Site.)

The history of this town with these very particular buildings is linked to an edict of the Kingdom of Naples which in the 15th century subjected every new urban settlement to a tribute. The counts of Conversano, owners of the territory on which Alberobello stands today, then forced the farmers sent to these lands to build their homes dry, without using mortar, so that they could be configured as precarious constructions, easily demolished.
Having therefore to use only stones, the farmers found the simplest and most solid configuration in the round shape with a self-supporting domed roof, composed of overlapping stone circles.
The domed roofs of the trulli are embellished with decorative pinnacles, the shape of which is inspired by symbolic, mystical, and religious elements.

Polignano a mare

The small town on the coast south of Bari rises above the sea on the edge of a spectacular 20 meter high cliff, in which numerous large caves open up.
The territory was certainly, since the Paleolithic, home to human groups who found shelter in some natural cavities, such as Grotta dei Ladroni and Grotta del Guardiano; in the Neolithic age settlements increased near the caves both on the coast and inland; a well-studied example is the settlement of Santa Barbara and the nearby Manfredi hypogeum, whose finds are now exhibited in the Palethnology Laboratory Center located in the historic center of Polignano.

Castellana Caves

The discovery of the entire system of chasms and cavities that make up the complex dates back to 23 January 1938 by the speleologist Franco Anelli as part of a speleological research campaign conducted in the south-eastern Murgia at the invitation of the provincial tourism board of Bari. The underground cavities extend for a length of approximately 3 kilometres, reaching depths of the order of 72 meters below ground level, referring to the entrance to the cave.
The tourist visit to the complex is possible through two itineraries: the short one, about one kilometer and lasting 50 minutes, and the complete one, which lasts 2 hours.
The natural entrance is represented by an enormous chasm 60 meters deep called the grave, a local dialect term to indicate a large chasm. From here you can reach the black cave.

Excavations and Museum of Egnazia

Egnazia is an ancient Roman city (of which only ruins remain today), near today’s Fasano, in the Province of Brindisi. Center of the Messapi or Peucezi, it was the site of ceramic manufactures from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. In the Messapic language it was called Gnathia, while by the Romans it was called Egnatia or Gnatia and by the Greeks Egnatia or Gnàthia. It is located on the border between Peucezia (to the north) and Messapia (to the south), along the so-called Messapian threshold.
Cited by Pliny, Strabo and Horace, who wrote about it on a journey from Rome to Brindisi.
Now in the province of Brindisi (near the border with Bari) and a few kilometers north of Savelletri di Fasano, the center of Egnazia is one of the most interesting archaeological sites in Puglia.

Sassi di Matera

recognized by U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage

Close to a ravine created by the erosion of a stream, stands Matera, “the city of the Sassi”.
The most emblematic example of a troglodyte city, in which man has used natural caves for residential purposes, Matera has a valuable collection of archaeological material from chronologically distant ages: prehistoric, Roman, medieval and baroque.
Itineraries » Lecce and Otranto
Lecce, the Roman city of Licea, today defined as the Florence of the South, is a city with a simple and refined charm. A walk in its very rich and evocative historic center is dotted with facades and portals that appear to the visitor as unthinkable surprises. Simply magnificent are the church of the Rosario, the church of S. Giovanni Battista, the church of S. Croce, then the monumental entrance to the enclosure of Piazza Duomo, the former Celestine convent, etc. You will be fascinated… We suggest a visit to the artisan shops in the historic center for a bit of shopping.

Otranto

Otranto, visit its historic center, rich in Byzantine influences, and its famous Cathedral with a mosaic floor of more than 1100m2 which represents the tree of life, the history of the world. We suggest a pleasant walk along its adorable marina.

Puglia and surroundings

Laureto is located in the land of Brindisi, which is par excellence the bridge between the land of Bari and Salento. Traveling a few kilometers you can come across Polignano with its historic center overlooking the sea, Conversano the town of towers and cherries, Cisternino and Locorotondo among the most beautiful villages in Italy, Castellana the city of caves, Alberobello the city of trulli, the beating heart of the Itria Valley.

Further south on the other side, the Lecce baroque, the beaches and the Salento nightlife. And if you really don’t want to travel too far, the province of Brindisi is no different. One above all is the blinding beauty of Ostuni, the white city.

Broadening the range of action, the three UNESCO sites, Castel del Monte, trulli of Alberobello and Sassi di Matera, are easily reachable for unforgettable trips out of town.

Surroundings

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