Castellana stands at the limits of an extended, depressed land-mass. It is the most striking example in a series of places that connote the morphology of the entire Lower-Murgia territory.

Castellana Grotte, as its name suggests, is known best for its caves; they were discovered in 1938 by Franco Anelli, and are regarded as the most magnificent in Italy. Long galleries alternate with spectacular caves, and all of them filled with many forms of stalactite and stalagmite.
The visitable section of the caves covers about 3km through underground passages, corridors and caves with suggestive, emblematic names (the Black Grotto; Angel’s Corridor; The Little Cavern of the Manger, with the famous Little Madonna of the Grottoes, and finally the Cavern of the Precipice, from which you can take the return route or proceed towards what has been defined “The most beautiful grotto in the world”, because of the abundance and purity of its crystalline concretions). The terminal point of the route is the spectacular White Cave, which is considered amongst the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, stalactite cave in the world.
Although most people come to Castellana for the caves, the town, a couple of kilometers away, is well worth a visit on its own merits. It has a historic centre rich in palaces of the 18th century.
What to see:
Chiesa del Purgatorio is rich in renaissance and baroque paintings.
Church of S. Francesco d’Assisi has rich baroque altars, decorated with stone statues and engravings.
The Grottoes discovered by the speleologist, Franco Anelli, who climbed into the Castellana “Grave” on 23rd january, 1938. He demostrated that is was not a bottomless, snare-ridden abyss (as a legend had it), but the entrance to an unspoilt route winding between calcareus concretion of rare beauty.
The explorations took place with the collaboration of Vito Matarrese and Domenico Magistro, youthful volunteers from Castellana. Hence the first touristic route was set up, and now corresponds to about three Km.

The Convent of the Frati Francescani is interesting and the annexed church is dedicated to the Madonna della Vetrana, the patron saint of the town, venerated because she saved the inhabitants from the Black death in 1691. This event is remembered during the festival of the “falò” (bonfire) every January, when the picture of the Madonna goes from the convent to the mother church with a solemn procession and, after a week, comes back to the convent.

Activities in Castellana Grotte:

THE GROTTOES OF CASTELLANA - Castellana caves represent the biggest Italian karst complex explored by the man. The tour winds through a fascinating scenery for about 1 km. The longest route requires two hours and develops for three km among caves and potholes with mythological or fantastic names. For more informations click here

DINOSAURS PARK – The Park give the possibility to admire a splendid open-air museum with life-size animals, faithfully reproduced thanks to the analysis of the fossils found by palaeontologists in all the planet since 1820 to the present day, allowing children to see this world so distant and mysterious for themselves. For more informations click here