PLACES TO VISIT IN PUGLIA

The main tourist destinations of southeast of Bari are Mola di Bari, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Conversano, Castellana Grotte, Alberobello.

Mola di Bari

Located on the Adriatic coast. The inhabited area is divided in a medieval part on the promontory and a modern part in the inner territory.
Of ancient origin, the harbour was very important during the crusades. Destroyed and then rebuilt by Carlo d'Angiò in 1277, it was feud of many dominations, becoming state property in seventeenth century.
In the typical seaside borough we find the cathedral of San Nicola (thirteenth century, rebuilt in the sixteenth century), with a portal flanked by columns and a Matroneo with small pillars and a chandelier, and, on the sea, the castle from 1200 with its characteristic square plan, fortified in centuries 1500-1600. Of remarkable importance is summer tourism, with well organized bathing and recreational establishments.

Polignano a Mare

Polignano a Mare is a fishing village surrounded by the lush blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. Low scrubby bushes and evergreen trees, as well as precious strips of beach, craggy rocks, coves and promontories cover the land.
In ancient times called Neapolis, it overlooks the sea with houses from high up on the rocks. The buildings are all whitewashed, and there is a stunning cathedral.
The numerous caves in Polignano al Mare were formed from the rough sea waves that molded the rock. Some of the caves are deep enough to reach the center of the town.
There is a huge underground cave and grotto that gives so many buildings their name.
The underground cavern has crystal clear water and blue stalactites and stalagmites.
The Grotta Nera's rock formations look like dripping mud and water that have been frozen in time. The Cavernone dei Monumenti is filled with pillars growing out of the ground, formed of rocks that are green, orange, white and brown.
La Grave is a stunning hole in the ceiling of the grotto, through which white sunlight streams, contrasting against the black and green rocks that turn golden in a halo of sun. Some of the more famous caves are Stalactite Cave (Grotta Stalattitica) and the Cave of the Seal (Grotta della Foca). Not to be missed:
The Chiesa Matrice, consecrated in 1295, with a massive, quadrangular bell tower. The 16th century Renaissance style prevails inside the church, but the presbytery is Baroque; in the sacristy there is a polyptych by Bartolomeo Vivarini (1472).
Saint Vitos Abbey, with a 16th century loggia, a large courtyard and a medieval watch-tower. Grotta Palazzese can be reached from the sea and from land, via a staircase inside the famous restaurant of the same name.

Monopoli

Monopoli is a charming town on the sea, famous, apart for its beaches and clean waters, for its baroque churches.
The town grew considerably in the Baroque period, with the twelfth-century cathedral given a new facade, while many noble houses were built, among them the lovely Palmieri mansion. The historic-artistic heritage is notable, starting with the lovely historic centre - its old houses facing onto quays, giving a clear impression of medieval landing stages - and the cathedral, one of the most interesting examples of Apulian Baroque.
A hard-working agricultural and fishing town, Monopoli has developed a strong touristic vocation in recent years: in fact, the jagged coastline has many enchanting bays.
What to see:

Madonna della Madia Cathedral, built in 1107 and completely rebuilt in the 18th century - one of the most attractive examples of Baroque in the entire Apulian region. Notable is the Byzantine icon portraying the Madonna della Madia - legend tells that the sacred image was washed up from the sea on a raft made of huge wooden logs that were then used for the building of the trussed roof which dates from 1280 and is very well preserved and of fine workmanship

Santa Maria degli Amalfitani near the port of Monopoli, is a Romanesque building erected at the beginning of the 12th century on a pre-existing rock settlement.

Abbey of Santo Stefano, a fortified complex built in 1086, is the remains of an old church survive in the inner courtyard, still inside there are the visible remains of the Roman settlement of Turris Paola.

Charles V Castle bounded on three sides by the sea and protected on the fourth by a moat that no longer exists, was erected by the Aragonese during the first half of the 15th century. Used as a prison until the beginning of the 20th century, the castle has been recently restored and today houses the Municipal Archaeological Museum on its first floor.

Purgatorio Church inside you will find familiar Baroque interior but on the adjacent chapel you will find mummies of some local citizens. If the church is closed then you can watch some of the mummies through the street window.

Palazzo Palmieri is a central square of the Centro Storico.

Madonna del Soccorso, is a old grotto with frescoes which was dug out of a natural cavity in the rock.

The countryside it consists of 99 districts characterized by the presence of "Masserie Fortificate" of ancient roman origin, Rupestrian Churches, neo-classic villas and houses.

Conversano

Conversano is, with its archaeological heritage, one of the greatest and most ancient town of the Peuceti (ancient native people).
The ancient megalithic walls, some of which can still be seen, represent the origins and strength of a lively and dynamic town, that in the course of time was enriched with history and beautiful art and monuments.
Conversano is a town full of noble palaces, churches, monasteries and works of art. The sobriety and richness of history are noted in the façades, in the belfries, in the interiors and altars: from the austere simplicity of the romanesque Basilica to the gilded pomp of 17th century churches, amidst the history of bishops and abbesses in the centuries-long wars, divided in spirit and time.
In the countryside, there are small ancient rural churches that were used by nobles and peasants.
Not to be missed:
The castle, originally of a trapezoidal shape, it was built by the Norman Goffredo Altavilla round about the year 1000. Between the 15th and 17th century a series of interventions changed the castle from a military fortress in an exclusive residence of the Acquaviva d'Aragona family.
The Picture-Gallery, the old show rooms of the earl Giangirolamo II are residence of the Town Picture-Gallery. The pictorial cycle of the Gerusalemme Liberata by an Italian writer Torquato Tasso is exhibited inside.
San Benedetto of remarkable interest the Romanesque bell tower of the northern façade of the church and the baroque bell tower on the opposite portal. The monastery became the residence of the Mitred Abbesses from 1266 till the beginning of the 19th century.
The Town Museum weights, coins, fragments of weapons, vases and various objects dated back to a period between the Paleolithic and the Roman age.
St. Cosma and Damiano starting from the thirties of the 17th cent., the old church of S. Matthew was transformed by order of the earl Giangirolamo II the Aragona and his wife Isabella Filomaria, devoted to Saints Cosma and Damiano.
The Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption, it has a nave and two aisles, and the façade divided into three parts by pilasters. It was consecrated minor Basilica in 1997.
Archeological remains of interest are to be found in the area around Conversano: the church of Santa Caterina (probably dating from 1100), on an unusual four-leaf-clover plan with its central dome on the tambour is very important, while the Marchione Castle (1730) the summer home of the Counts of Acquaviva, is impressive.

Castellana Grotte

Castellana stands at the limits of an extended, depressed land-mass. It is the most striking example in a series of places that connote the morphology of the entire Lower-Murgia territory.
Castellana Grotte, as its name suggests, is known best for its caves; they were discovered in 1938 by Franco Anelli, and are regarded as the most magnificent in Italy. Long galleries alternate with spectacular caves, and all of them filled with many forms of stalactite and stalagmite.
The visitable section of the caves covers about 3km through underground passages, corridors and caves with suggestive, emblematic names (the Black Grotto; Angel's Corridor; The Little Cavern of the Manger, with the famous Little Madonna of the Grottoes, and finally the Cavern of the Precipice, from which you can take the return route or proceed towards what has been defined "The most beautiful grotto in the world", because of the abundance and purity of its crystalline concretions). The terminal point of the route is the spectacular White Cave, which is considered amongst the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, stalactite cave in the world.
Although most people come to Castellana for the caves, the town, a couple of kilometers away, is well worth a visit on its own merits. It has a historic centre rich in palaces of the 18th century.
What to see:

Chiesa del Purgatorio is rich in renaissance and baroque paintings.

Church of S. Francesco d'Assisi has rich baroque altars, decorated with stone statues and engravings.

The Grottoes discovered by the speleologist, Franco Anelli, who climbed into the Castellana "Grave" on 23rd january, 1938. He demostrated that is was not a bottomless, snare-ridden abyss (as a legend had it), but the entrance to an unspoilt route winding between calcareus concretion of rare beauty.
The explorations took place with the collaboration of Vito Matarrese and Domenico Magistro, youthful volunteers from Castellana. Hence the first touristic route was set up, and now corresponds to about three Km.

The Convent of the Frati Francescani is interesting and the annexed church is dedicated to the Madonna della Vetrana, the patron saint of the town, venerated because she saved the inhabitants from the Black death in 1691. This event is remembered during the festival of the "falò" (bonfire) every January, when the picture of the Madonna goes from the convent to the mother church with a solemn procession and, after a week, comes back to the convent.

Alberobello

Alberobello literally means "beautiful tree" and this is where there are many of the distinctive "trulli": whitewashed cones made of stones, at the top there is a decoration that has some rebellious or magical meaning. They are visible in almost every wheat field and olive grove, where they serve as miniature barns. But they are at their most picturesque when clustered together in the hundreds, to form a town. In Alberobello there are over a thousand of them.
The famous white beehive shaped houses of Puglia have come to symbolise the region. Their shape is, in part, due to the economic conditions: at the time it was forbidden to build without the permission of the king Ferdinand I of Aragon, he declared that peasants were not allowed to build permanent homes. Since the stones had no cement, in theory they could be taken apart and moved. The town is situated on the Morge hills, descending in terraces to the Adriatic, and is famous for the "Trulli" houses, with white walls and grey cone-shaped domes as roofs.
This is Alberobello, and it's a wonderful sight you will never forget!
What to see:
The historical center with the especially typical quarters called Aia Piccola and Monti, wholly composed of "trulli" united in groups and lined up along precipitous and circuitous lanes that climb the hill. Crossing these lanes you can see from the doors always open, the inside structure of the unusual houses.
Sant'Antonio church, built in 1926 in the form of a trullo. From this point there is an amazing view looking down over the entire area.
The Trullo sovrano, the only one with two floors, built in the 18th century which is located in a small square behind the Mother Church.