Cisternino,
architettura
spontanea e brillante vita notturna.
Cisternino is perched on a hilltop
overlooking the surrounding Murge and Itria Valley. Although
it is known the area was populated from the Paleolithic Period,
the origins of the town are considered to date back to the
10th century.
The
first building you see as you enter the old town centre from
the gardens of the Villa Communale (which has superb views
over the Itria Valley) is the Torre Grande, dating from the
time of Norman domination. The nearby church Chiesa Madre
is of Apulian Romanesque style and was built in the 13th century,
but only the internal capitals and columns remain as the facade
was rebuilt in the 19th century. A recent discovery under
the present building was the remains of an earlier church
which has been dated at around 1000.
Cisternino
changed hands several times from the eleventh to the 15th
century. Its old defensive walls, although transformed, are
still preserved in the boundary of the medieval quarter and
the towers Torre Amati and Torre Capece. The two main gates,
the Porta Grande on the south-west and the Porta Piccola,
to the north-east, remain as the main entrances to the Centro
Storico.
Two
hundred years of Spanish rule have left some Renaissance Palazzos,
and later buildings are found in Baroque style, particularly
the Church S. Cataldo, and Neoclassical style.
Cisternino
has a vibrant open-air cafe nightlife in the summer, and like
other towns in the area has a wide variety of summer events
and festivals.
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