What is Castellana Grotte known for?

Karst system discovered 23 January 1938 by Franco Anelli, three kilometers long and 60 meters deep, the most visited show cave in Italy. Pure white alabaster cavern at the end of the route, defined by President Einaudi in 1952 as the most beautiful cave in the world. Plague Madonna of 1690, carried each 12 January from the Capuchin convent to the mother church, the town's identifying festa.

Where is Castellana Grotte?

Castellana Grotte is a comune in the province of Bari, Apulia region of Italy, about 43 kilometers from Bari.

Apulia · Bari

Castellana Grotte

A Murge townabove the karst cave system discovered in 1938, with a 3-kilometer subterranean route 60 meters deep.

43 km / 27 mi

Nearest hub (Bari)

19,505

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Castellana Grotte sits on the south-eastern Murge, forty kilometers south of Bari and inland from Monopoli and Polignano. The town is named for the karst cave complex beneath it. On 23 January 1938 the speleologist Franco Anelli, sent down by the Italian Touring Club, descended into a known sinkhole called La Grave and broke through into a system of galleries, stalactites and stalagmites running three kilometers under the limestone plateau. The Grotta Bianca, discovered two years later and named for its pure white alabaster formations, was called by President Luigi Einaudi in 1952 the most beautiful cave in the world. Above ground, the Chiesa Madre di San Leone Magno was raised on Romanesque foundations in 1383 with a Norman tower repurposed as bell tower. The Sanctuary of Madonna della Vetrana on the hilltop above town commemorates the 1690 plague deliverance, marked each January with a procession from the Capuchin convent to the mother church.

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Gallery

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Known for

Grotte di Castellana
Karst cave system discovered in 1938 by Franco Anelli, three kilometers of galleries 60 meters deep, with the alabaster Grotta Bianca at the far end.
Chiesa Madre di San Leone Magno
Romanesque mother church rebuilt in 1383, three naves under round arches, with a Norman defensive tower converted into the bell tower.
Santuario di Santa Maria della Vetrana
Hilltop sanctuary built in 1690 in thanks for deliverance from plague, the destination of the January procession that carries the Madonna statue from the Capuchin convent.
Centro storico
Walled old town on the Murge plateau, white stone alleys and arches organized around the cathedral square.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the workable months on the Murge: dry, clear, the caves a constant fifteen degrees regardless of the surface weather. July and August reach the mid-thirties above ground but the cave itinerary stays cold enough for a jacket. The plateau countryside empties between two and five in the afternoon. November through March is quiet and cool; the cave stays open year-round and is the obvious wet-weather destination. The Festa della Madonna della Vetrana on 12 January and the Fanove bonfires on 11 January are the town's winter peaks.