ITINERARIES

OSTUNI
The charm of Ostuni is tied to the characteristic white colour of the walls of the houses of his old village. All the houses in the historic centre are painted white, with lime paint. For this feature, Ostuni is known as the "white city".
At the heart of the old town the cathedral of Ostuni dominates with its style hardly classifiable, but due to a tradition Gothic - Romanesque that find in Puglia other examples. Do not miss the portal of the church of the Holy Spirit, which dates back to 1450, now recognized as a national monument. Another attraction of Ostuni is its 17 kilometres of beaches that alternate sandy coves, cliffs, pebble beaches and dunes covered in Mediterranean maquis. The coast houses also a nature reserve in the area of the lido Morelli.
The feast of Sant'Oronzo, the patron saint of the city, is a strong appeal for tourists and it takes place in August from 25th to 27th: among the many events the most striking is the "Ride", during which the municipal authorities and representatives of the clergy on horseback parade with knights and ladies who wear original medieval costumes.
For more information: www.comune.ostuni.br.it

CASTELLANA GROTTE
Castellana Grotte is a town of 19,147 inhabitants in the province of Bari. Castellana Grotte is to be considered the gateway through which people can admire the treasures that Puglia holds in the secret cavities of its subsoil, to hundreds of meters deep. The karst caves of Castellana are the most extensive and suggestive ones of Italy.
Castellana Caves are the largest Italian carst never explored by man. The tour winds along a fascinating scenario for about 1 km. The longer route takes two hours and developed for 3 km, among caves and chasms whose names sound mythological or fantastic. From the Grave to the Grotta Nera, after passing the Cavernone of Civetta, crossed the corridor of the Snake, the Cave of the Precipizio and the Piccolo Paradiso, you will reach the Grotta Bianca, defined as the most beautiful cave in the world, bright and shining. The karst continues as well beyond the stretch opened to the public and explored, and has a concentration of works of art due to the slow flow of water in the depths of the earth, stalactites and stalagmites with a thousand colours, fluorescent in alabaster, underground lakes, a world that only the imagination of nature could create and make accessible, with the aid of expert speleological guides for those wanting to experience the thrill of mystery and adventure.
Do not miss in January the 11th "The Fanove" - features stacks of wood burning in the night, the last Sunday of April "The Feast of April" - lights, processions, fireworks in honour of Our Lady of Vetrana; in September the 7/8 "Festival of Chicken and Rabbit" - the shop windows and great satirical tables dressing in the streets with the butchers of the town.
For more information: www.comune.castellanagrotte.ba.it

FASANO – ZOO SAFARI
The Zoosafari of Fasano is the largest wildlife park in Italy and one of the largest in Europe and houses about 1,700 specimens of 200 different animal species. It covers an area of over 140 hectares, of which a large part covered by Mediterranean scrub with carob and olive trees. Here the animals live in absolute freedom in wide open spaces, where they can get closer to the public only if and when they wish.
For more information: www.zoosafari.it

LECCE
The town of Lecce is known for the richness of the monuments that adorn her, many of them made in the typical baroque style of Lecce. Significant are the friezes, capitals, pinnacles and rosettes that decorate many of the palaces and churches of the city (there are over 40), such as the palace of Celestini and the adjacent Basilica of Santa Croce, and the church of Santa Chiara and the Cathedral.
The city centre is enclosed in walls dating back to the sixteenth century, but now largely destroyed. The city had originally four gates: Arch of Triumph (Porta Napoli), Rudiae Porta, Porta San Biagio and San Martino. Of these the last is no longer visible as collapsed in the nineteenth century.
For more information: www.comune.lecce.it