Masseria Cesarina

Castellana grotte :
Castellana stands 290 meters above sea level in Bari province inland, on the edge of a closed karstic hollow. Historical sources testify the presence of a urban settlement known as Castellano back during the X Century. The village was abandoned in 1310, when the population moved to the area where Castellana rises today.
The town was donated by Norman Count Goffredo to the Benedictine convent of Conversano, under which civil and religious dominion Castellana remained until 1400s. Acquired by the Orsini family, Castellana was eventually given as a dowry to Giovanni Antonio Orsini’s daughter, who married a member of the Acquaviva family. The city was thus subject to such family until 1806.
During XVI Century the city experienced a significant democratic development thanks to the arrival of a constant flow of immigrants. The agrarian transformation started in the XVII Century contributed to the creation of a peasant class, and laid the foundations for an economic development based on land exploitation, with the cultivation of vineyards and olives. The De Bellis family - owner of a textile industry and a wine-producing business – has had a significant role for Castellana economic and cultural life during the last Century.
The church belonging to the convent of Franciscan friars is certainly very interesting. It keeps the Madonna della Vetrana, the city patron saint who saved the population from plague in 1691. This event is celebrated every 11th January with a Bonfire festival, when a painting of the Virgin is taken in procession from the Convent to the mother church. The hamlet of Serritella hosts a characteristic church of Madonna della Grotta, an sample of 1600 rupestrian architecture.
At the city entrance lie the Castellana caves, a speleological compound discovered and initially explored in 1938 by Franco Anelli. The caves are constituted of a mix of hollows and tunnels growing out underground for more than 2 kilometers able to offer visitors unique sights such as the Black Cave, the great cave of Monuments, the Owl Hall, the cave of the Alabaster cascade, of the Altar, the Enchanted Corner and beautiful White Cave. New routes found in 1982 are today used for scientific research. Franco Anelli Speleological Museum, including a documentation center, a library and photo library as well as Sirio astronomic Observatory, is worth a visit.
The Castellana caves are located 40 km far from Bari and are considered the most important speleological environment in Italy and Europe: their wide range of crystal concretions, their size and amazing variety of natural galleries are responsible for the role played by the caves of Puglia. They are the result of the eroding action of an ancient underground river which for centuries dug and shaped the calcareous rocks composing the murgia in the Bari area. They were discovered in 1938 by the speleologist Franco Anelli. Today approximatley three kilometers of underground alleys have been explored, including two distinct routes unveiling fascinating sceneries before the visitors’ eyes: huge stalagmites and stalactites, large caves decorated by an incredible variety of shapes and colours such as the White Cave, the Altar Cave, the Dome Cave and the Nativity Passage, where a stalagmite can be see resembling Mother Mary, called Madonnina delle Grotte. After it was discovered, the site has been studied and enhanced to take advantage of all its potential in terms of tourism and education. Administration offices, a lift tower, shops, bars, restaurants and hotels were built. A speleological museum dedicated to Franco Anelli illustrates the scientific and didactic vocation of the environment through numerous activities and events, including the pubblication of the review entitled Grotte e dintorni.