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 A little further is another
white town - Cisternino, of
similar, almost Greek, appearance, with a
fascinating maze of many white terraced houses.
Cisternino is at its best in the evening, with
pavement cafes and a vibrant night life. A short distance further again (but
only about 30km from Masseria Cristina) is Ostuni.
This town has a stunning setting on a hilltop
overlooking the plain below and the Adriatic. It
has an intriguing centro storico ripe for
exploration, with a grand 15th century cathedral.
Of all the white hilltop towns Ostuni is the one
which will stay in the memory always.
Martina
Franca is a very elegant town with many
Baroque and Rococo buildings, including a very
fine 17th century Pallazzo, now the town hall,
interesting churches and 17th and 18th century
townhouses. It is also famous for its strong
white wine, and between mid July and early August
is renowned throughout Italy for its music
festival, a feast for classical music and opera
lovers.
Between Martina
Franca and Locorotondo lies the Valle
d'Itria, and from both these towns and
Cisternino there are fine views over the valley,
notable for its concentration of trulli in a
country rather than town setting, although
masserie, small farms and houses with trulli may
be seen anywhere in the countryside between
Putignano in the west and Ostuni in the east.
To the west of
Alberobello the town of Noci is
a charming little town. Its Centro Storico
includes, among other churches, the Chiesa Madre
founded in 1316 and with a memorable interior.
Putignano
is an attractive town but it is best known for
its spring festival leading up to Lent. Its
Martedi Grasso (Shrove Tuesday - Mardi Gras) is
said to be second only to that of Venice. It also
has some interesting caverns a short distance
outside the towns, but these do not compare with
the limestone caverns of its neighbour, Castellana
Grotte, which are reckoned the most
spectacular in Italy, and for once I can agree
the hyperbole is justified. A 3 kilometer 2 hour
guided visit is available in English. A shorter
tour is also available, but it would be a pity to
miss the White Cave which is the outstanding
highlight of the longer tour
.
Near Castellana
the town of Conversano stands on
a hill overlooking the Adriatic. It has a very
attractive old town centre, with an interesting
Duomo dating to the 14th century in Apulian
Romanesque style, and an older Benedictine
monastery. Outside the Norman castle walls the
sea can be seen from the tree-lined terrace.
All these towns
are visitable in a series of easy half day trips
from Masseria Cristina.
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The wonderful thing about
the local towns is that they all have their own
character and all have historical centres quite
unspoilt by new development.
