Cisternino, wonderful town on the border between Salento and Itria Valley and life night.

The magic of a territory full of the narrow hills of olive groves and vineyards that surround it, where the ancient trulli create a unique setting all over the world: it is in this suggestive song of Puglia that the beautiful Cisternino unfolds.

Cisternino is perched on a hilltop overlooking the surrounding Murge and Itria Valley. Although it is known the area was populated from the Paleolithic Period, the origins of the town are considered to date back to the 10th century.

The first building you see as you enter the old town centre from the gardens of the Villa Communale (which has superb views over the Itria Valley) is the Torre Grande, dating from the time of Norman domination. The nearby church Chiesa Madre is of Apulian Romanesque style and was built in the 13th century, but only the internal capitals and columns remain as the facade was rebuilt in the 19th century. A recent discovery under the present building was the remains of an earlier church which has been dated at around 1000.

Cisternino changed hands several times from the eleventh to the 15th century. Its old defensive walls, although transformed, are still preserved in the boundary of the medieval quarter and the towers Torre Amati and Torre Capece. The two main gates, the Porta Grande on the south-west and the Porta Piccola, to the north-east, remain as the main entrances to the Centro Storico.

Two hundred years of Spanish rule have left some Renaissance Palazzos, and later buildings are found in Baroque style, particularly the Church S. Cataldo, and Neoclassical style.

Gastronomy

One of the distinctive features of Cisternino is its perfume. Yes, you got it right… the perfume! Walking through the streets of the village, in fact, you can not help but notice a certain scent of embers that hovers in the air! Cisternino is famous for its meat: Sausages, bowls and the famous ‘’gnumeredd” of lamb are just some of the tasty meats that you can taste accompanied by a good glass of red wine!

Art & Culture

Cisternino has a vibrant open-air cafe nightlife in the summer, and like other towns in the area has a wide variety of summer events and festivals.

As often happens in small villages… traditions are respected! Starting from the feast of Saint Anthony, on 17 January, they pass through Pasquaredde and then arrive at the feasts under the starry sky of August. Certainly among the most celebrated celebrations there are precisely that of Easter Monday, which takes place at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ibernia in a strategic position to enjoy a breathtaking view and that of San Quirico, the first Sunday of Augus