Cisternino is one of the most fascinating villages in the whole area, rich in traditions and where it is a pleasure to get lost in its alleys and small squares. A charm due to its popular and unplanned architecture that distinguishes the historic center.
Cisternino boasts the Orange Flag of the TCI (Italian Touring Club). This is a recognition of quality awarded to small towns in Italy for excellence in tourism, hospitality and the environment. Cisternino is also included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy and in the Slow Food towns due to the maintenance of its gastronomic traditions and the protection of local crops and productions such as, for example, the meat that can be purchased in one of the many butchers in the historic center. Here, if you want, the meat is grilled in the same butcher’s shop and ate by sitting at the tables specially arranged outdoors.
The exploration of Cisternino starts from Piazza Garibaldi, with the Villa Comunale (“Municipal Garden”) with the splendid panorama today is admired from the belvedere of Valle d’Itira.
The atmosphere and charm of Cisternino lie above all in wandering between the houses of the historic center and the other ancient neighborhoods that extend beyond the Cathedral and the Torre Grande. Needless to indicate a precise itinerary, also because the beauty of the visit is to get lost and then find yourself. For sure, sooner or later you will pass by Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, with its Clock Tower. Walking through Cisternino you will discover the beauty of the houses leaning against each other, connected by arches, interspersed with stairs, decorated with balconies and stone masks: a popular architectural masterpiece donated by the wisdom of bricklayers and stonemasons with no name. This is perhaps the main reason for spending time between the white walls of Cisternino.