The world’s most beautiful Karst cave is the hidden treasure of Castellana Grotte, a municipality in the province of Bari.
The town owes its name to the cave complex discovered in 1938 by speleologist Franco Anelli, close to its centre. The Caves of Castellana are a sprawling 3,368m, underground cavity of Karst origin which began to form in the Late Cretaceous Period (100 – 90 million years ago) and reaches depths of 122m. The natural entrance to the caves is a 60m deep canyon known as the Grave.
Largo Leone Magno (Leo the Great) stands at the heart of the old city, distinguished by its medieval look and narrow streets paved with local limestone. The oldest church, dedicated to Pope Leo I (St. Leo the Great), is a stunning Romanesque jewel with sculptural decorations dating between 1500-1600s. The Church of St. Mary of Suffrage has a wooden entrance decorated with skulls and shinbones. The town’s patron saint, Our Lady of the Vetrana, kept in the hurch of the Monastery of the Franciscan Brothers, is venerated for having saved the population from the plague and thanked annually at the Festa dei Falò (Feast of Bonfires) on 11th January, with an unusual procession which carries the saint from the monastery to the Chiesa Matrice.
Apulia Film Commission
Cineporti di Puglia/Bari — c/o Fiera del Levante - Lungomare Starita 1 — 70132 Bari
Phone: +39 080 9752900
Fax: +39 080 9147464
Email: email@apuliafilmcommission.it
