Cisternino, not far from the sea and on top of a hill, is one of the main towns in Itria Valley. Italians and foreigners love it above all for its relaxed and authentic atmosphere and for being very welcoming to visitors. Tourists fall in love with Cisternino for its delicious food and wine, pubs and cafés in the old town centre and numerous summer night events. Cisternino is small but quaint: its old town centre is a continual succession of alleys and small districts, picturesque for the arches and the little outside stairs that frame the houses. This old town centre is so picturesque that it was studied by the Japanese architect Hidenobu Jinnai and defined by him as a “great architectural masterpiece without architects”.

Cisternino is one of the three towns in Itria Valley, all equally beautiful and picturesque. The other two towns are: Locorotondo, famous for its cummerse (narrow rectangular town houses with pointed gable roofs), its one hundred districts and Locus Festival, Martina Franca, the baroque town of capocollo, cabaret and Itria Valley Festival.

Locorotondo skyline

Other nearby towns you can’t miss are Ceglie Messapica (the most ancient Messapian town of the area), charming Ostuni (also called “The White City”), Fasano  (and its nearby beaches and small ports of Savelletri and Torre Canne) and Alberobello (a tourist town rushed by the Japanese but also a world heritage site with a unique style).

Alberobello

From Pietraviva B&B you can also plan a one day excursion to Matera, Lecce, Otranto, Galatina and the beaches in Salento. You can also do interesting activities in other nearby places that deserve to be seen, like the grottoes in Castellana Grotte and two special amusement parks to let young travellers have fun, Zoo Safari FasanoLandia in Fasano and Il Ciuchino Birichino in Ostuni. For excursions along the coast we suggest you the association Parco delle Dune Costiere and for excursions in the woods Parco delle Pianelle.

Ostuni

As you can see, everything is at your fingertips in Itria Valley. If you come here you’ll wish you had more time to explore it and the nearby areas.