Cisternino

Together with Martina Franca and Locorotondo, Cisternino marks the boundary of the Valley of Itria, a depression densely populated with trulli.

The architecture of Cisternino is typical of the region with an old historic centre containing white washed, stone buildings, narrow streets and churches. Its houses contain hidden courtyards and their floor are connected by external stairways. The town also features several community squares, each of which are build on the edge of the hill. The white building break up the intense green of the fertile countryside, dotted with trulli.

The origins of the town are Messapian. It was a Roman municipality and during the medieval times it became a possession of the Basilian monks.

The main piazza of the town has a quadrangular Norman-Swabian Tower and the Romanesque church of S. Nicola which houses a statue of the Madonna and Child, also known as Madonna del Cardellino, by Stefano Putignano.

The typical dishes of Cisternino cuisine are broad bean purée with wild chicory (fave e cicorie selvatiche), orecchiette con braciole e polpette (a particular shape of pasta with tomato sauce, meatball and beef chop) and "bombette" (a type of roasted pork meatball).