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Massafra

Massafra is a small city of almost 40 thousands of inhabitants, of the province of Taranto, in the south of Italy, specifically in Apulia. It is a city rich in culture, history and hidden gems that even the locals do not know. Located at the foot of the Taranto Murgia, Massafra is part of the “Terra delle Gravine” Regional Natural Park and houses the WWF oasis of Monte Sant'Elia and, on the coast, the Stornara Nature Reserve. In the territory there are settlements of rock civilisation and it is also known for its Carnival. Its territory extends from the Taranto Murge to the Ionian Sea and presents a great variety of landscapes, including a series of ravines and blades (natural continuation of the ravines with softer walls) of karst origin. The village developed around two of these, the ravine of San Marco and that of the Madonna della Scala.

The climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters and hot arid summers, sometimes even torrid due to the action of warm sciroccali winds. The average temperatures in winter are 8-9 ºC (46,4- 48,9ºF), with exceptionally low temperatures and snow. In summer average temperatures are almost always above 30 ºC (86 ºF ), with peaks often exceeding 40 ºC (104 ºF).

A touch of history

In Massafra, there are remnants of settlements and necropolis from the Neolithic and fourth-third centuries BC, and crypts and rock churches cut into the limestone rock of Gravine, which date from the seventh to fourteenth centuries (AC). With the conquest of the Normans, the city experienced a period of fortification and renovation also at an architectural level, in fact in 1080 the Castle was renovated and was donated to the city the Church of Saint Lucia with the adjoining convent. The city was taken over by the Byzantines in the 12th century, and then by the Angevins in the following century, before being incorporated into the Principality of Taranto in the 15th century, in the second half of the same century, however, it was conquered by the Aragonese, who remained in power for only a decade, when the throne was taken from him by the Pappacoda family. After the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 Massafra also ended feudalism. During the First World War in the country were housed several regiments of the Italian Army directed to the front. To remember the many fallen inhabitants was built a monument in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. In 1923 it became part of the newly formed province of the Ionian Sea, derived from the ancient province of Terra d'Otranto.

Get in

Get in Massafra is not that difficult as it may seems for a small city, it is connected pretty well with every means of transport:

To get here by car you have to get

• Motorway A14 Bologna-Taranto (exit Taranto Nord) to and from northern Italy
• Highway 106 Jonica from and to Calabria
• State Road 100 di Gioia del Colle to and from Bari
• State Road 7 Via Appia to and from Brindisi and MateraYou can also get here by train choosing between the Station of Massafra or the Station the Taranto if you want to explore it before going to Massafra. From our station you could maybe rent a car and get to town centre.

Lastly you can get here by one of the two airports that are in Apulia: the Airport of Bari or the Airport of Brindisi.

Get around

Massafra is not a very big city so it is pretty easy to get around by foot or by bike, thanks to its flat territory. But if you do not like to walk a lot you can use the public transport system Miccolis, or rent a car before getting here, although is not so useful especially if you want to explore the old town, because of its old and small streets.

See

Massafra is a very rich city in nature, culture and history, so there is a lot to see.

Ravines and natural parks

The village is part of the Regional Natural Park Terra delle Gravine. The ravines have a length ranging from 1 to 10 km and a width from 10 to 300 m, with a maximum depth of 50 m and they are characterised by natural and artificial caves.In the territory of Massafra there are 11 ravines, of which the three main ones are the Madonna della Scala, San Marco and Santa Caterina, which delimit the urban perimeter.

Ravine of Madonna della Scala

The ravine of the Madonna della Scala is 4 km long, about 40 m deep and 30 to 50 m wide. It starts from the junction of the provincial road between Martina Franca and Noci and, bordering the northern part of the town, ends in the locality called “La Pil d'u Boie” ("the pile of the executioner") almost to the confluence of the Appian Way. Inside there is the Sanctuary of the “Madonna della Scala”and over 200 houses of the original village. The northern part is called "Capo di Gravina", followed by the so-called "Valle Delle Rose" which extends west of the village, once called Vallis Rosarum for the rich spontaneous vegetation that covers the entire bed of the ancient river Patemisco.There are many varieties of plants, some very rare, which the ancients believed to be medicinal. At the southern end, called "Gravina di Calìtro", there is the seventeenth-century sanctuary of the “Madonna di Tutte le Grazie” and the remains of three rock churches: Santa Maria Maddalena, Santa Parasceve and Sant'Eustachio.

Caves of Mago Greguro where he put his “potions”

This is a special ravine thanks to the legends connected to her in particular the one of the staircase, in fact is accessed via a staircase of 125 steps, which according to popular tradition can not be counted, as going down the stairs is a number and climbing a different number; and the one of Mago Greguro and Margheritella, his daughter who apparently were nothing more than two alchemists or, as we would say today, two pharmacists. In the year 1000 they lived in the Gravina delle Rose, and dedicated their days to the treatment of medicinal plants to obtain healing ointments, activities that had led the people of Massafra to think that they practiced witchcraft. The raw materials were offered directly from the ravine, where the herbs grew, and still grow, lush. Margheritella had the task of coming down from her father’s cave and collecting them. Given the not very flattering appointment that the two had procured for their work, the young woman performed her duty during the night, feeding even more slander. It must be said that the girl was also a great beautiful daughter and all the men of the country courted her, in vain, unleashing the deadly wrath of wives and mothers of Massafra, which pointed to the poor and innocent Margheritella as a witch, who had seduced their men with filters and spells. In haste and fury she was tried and burned. Fortune wanted that, just as they tightened the ropes and hoisted her on the pyre, ran to her aid the Igumeno Anselmo, superior of the Byzantine monastery of Massafra, saving her. At that point Greguro, as a sign of gratitude, painted a Madonna on the rock of the ravine, the same that, according to another legend, is preserved in the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Scala. Their history is linked to this ravine because it is here that they are said to have lived, in a complex of caves also called the pharmacy of the magician Greguro that actually exists and that can be visited. Its access can be a bit difficult for some, although there is a staircase: the entrance is at the top and is quite narrow. Some time ago it was necessary to climb into the cave with the help of a rope, a practice definitely not suitable for everyone. Once inside there is a maze of 12 rooms dug into the rock, all communicating with each other, and in the walls the quarters for those that the legend says were ointments and potions.

Ravine of San Marco

Also north of the town, the ravine of San Marco originates near the "Masseria Pantaleo". It extends in the east of the old town, separating it from the rest of the country. Completely incorporated in the town, it takes its name from a rock church dedicated to San Marco. It was in the past called The Paradise of Massafra (from the Greek paradeisos or garden), because, along the ridges and terraces, develops a lush spontaneous vegetation together with terraced gardens, gardens, citrus groves and a large cultivation of prickly pears. On the south-east side of the ravine lies the rocky village of Santa Marina, which includes a path of historical and landscape interest. The ravine of San Marco divides into two parts the town of Massafra, both can be visited thanks to bridges that connect them. In the ravine of San Marco were built three churches of great importance: Santa Marina, San Marco and the most famous crypt of Candelora. The first excavation of the rock to create the environment used to house the Church of San Marco probably dates back to the sixth century. The church is accessed through a deep narthex with two archways to one of which is connected to a devotional panel with the effigy of San Marco and the invocation of the patrons.The Church of San Marco has a central hall divided by two central pillars. Beyond the central hall there are two communicating cells that precede the two symmetrical apses.There is no trace of a painted decorative program, while the architectural decoration is important (polylobed pillars, semi-columns, pilasters, ribbon capitals and volutes; note the corner columns at the entrance of the apses).

Village of Santa Marina

It is accessed through a system of stairs that leads to the two main terraces of the village, connected by ramps and pedestrian junctions. Immediately striking is the arrangement of the caves dug in series on the wall with large courtyards and common spaces in front.We find various types of caves: the first type of caves is that of the family homes formed by a large single room with some functional separations guaranteed by walls. At the bottom is the alcove space, where the beds stood on wooden planks tucked into the walls. Near the access door is placed the fireplace and the kitchen, with a window or a hole that served as a chimney. The walls are pierced by niches and shelves intended for pantry and skylight; the second type of cave consists of stables, lower natural shelters, intended for sheep, or larger if intended for rest of transport donkeys; The third type consists of artisans' workshops and commercial workshops that still show the niches and spaces intended for the shelves supporting the goods on display. Attention should also be paid to service infrastructures, especially those built for water supply. Clearly visible is the pool that collects the water of a small spring and the dripping of the wall. The water channels branch off from the pool to the nearby houses and those below. Other water was drawn from the ravine bottom ditch for the irrigation of vegetable gardens and the watering of animals. Features are the bell-shaped tanks opened by holes on the floor for the collection of rainwater and underground silos for the storage of grain.

Masseria Pantaleo

To get there you have to travel about two and a half kilometers starting from the center of Massafra going north east. On foot you can easily reach and from the city center you find yourself in forty minutes maximum in open countryside surrounded by olive trees and fragrant Mediterranean scrub. Since cars and other vehicles do not pass, you should take advantage to collect aromatic plants such as rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano and medicinal plants such as mallow, dandelion and borage. The farm is not habited and is left a little to itself. The interior still has some rooms, such as the kitchen, which recall the times when the owners lived there. From the terrace the view is superb and when the air is clear you can see the mountains of Pollino in Calabria. It kept all the initial features with around acres of land left in the natural state. One has the feeling that everything has remained intact and it seems that the various plant and animal species are the only inhabitants, for now.

The Crypt of Candelora

It is a church of refined architecture, perhaps the most valuable example of medieval rock architecture. What, however, is different from other times is the ceiling that presents donkey-back, star-shaped, sail-shaped and lenticular-domed vaults. The iconography is very varied and presupposes different eras. The rich set of paintings of remarkable quality develops on all the walls, but above all we name the Praying Madonna with Child with Greek inscription and the Madonna and Child in the central compartment. The series of paintings ends with the Presentation at the Temple, commonly called the Candelora, from which the chapel was named. The Virgin and Child are indicated by inscriptions in Greek, the Saint Simeon, instead, from Latin inscription. Inside and outside the archery you can see a rich decorative band, similar to those of the images of SS. Doctors of the rock church of San Marco. At the top, on the left side of the arch, the year 1576 is observed, graffito.

Ravine of Santa Caterina

The ravine of Santa Caterina is located south of the town and is crossed by the third bridge of Massafra, which connects the area of Sant'Oronzo with Via La Rotonda. It takes its name from the rock church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

Monte Sant’Elia Natural Reserve

The Monte Sant'Elia Nature Reserve is a WWF oasis, to which the "Comunità dell'Arca" has donated about one hundred hectares of woodland and arable land. The reserve consists of the homonymous farm with a nucleus of trulli dating back to the eighteenth century, surrounded by the Mediterranean maquis and woods of holm oak and fragno.

Religious architecture

Ancient Mother Church of San Lorenzo Martire

The rectory of the ancient Mother Church of San Lorenzo Martire was the first church to house the collegial chapter from the second half of the sixteenth century to 1807. It preserves the city’s first baptismal font from its construction (16th century) until 1931. It was built in the sixteenth century on an ancient rock church, presumably dedicated to San Lorenzo, and was consecrated by Monsignor Giacomo Micheli on the 11th February of 1582. In the eighteenth century the terminal part was rebuilt and were added inside the altars, which covered the sixteenth century frescoes. The church has the facade and the sides with blind arches, crowned by trapdoors similar to those on the castle. The facade, with rose window is crowned by a tympanum that houses the statuette called Sande Miseriédde. To the left of it, also accessible from the sacristy, there is a chapel, dedicated to Purgatory, almost entirely frescoed inside, presenting obvious signs of the need for restoration, in which are kept the statues of the Procession of the Mysteries of Good Friday.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, parish of San Lorenzo Martire

The church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary because it is coeval in the laying of its first stone to the proclamation of the Marian dogma 1854, is home to the parish of San Lorenzo Martire (originally constituted in the Mother Church of San Lorenzo Martire and of which it retains its title) and is still called since the years of its construction also "New Church". Its construction was begun in 1853, on land donated by the marquise Pizziferri and designed by the architect A. Bruni of Naples and was completed by the then archpriest Antonio Ladiana. The works were completed in 1931 on a design by engineer Giulio Giorgis of Rome. The external colonnade is of local stone, cut in the quarries of Citignano and the inside has a Greek cross plan, covered with a dome, with carved capitals and a large Latin inscription on the cornice bearing the prayer of the Ave Maria. Among the altars stands that of the Sacrament; there are paintings and statues, many of which come from other churches dirute, such as San Rocco alla Palata (the statue of the Saint) and especially from Santa Maria di Costantinopoli demolished in 1929. Waiting for their relocation in the Ancient Mother Church of San Lorenzo M., after the relative restorations, the Duomo houses two sixteenth-century tables depicting respectively the Madonna of the Angels and Jesus Risen, as well as a precious eighteenth-century dress of Our Lady of the Rosary venerated in the same mother Church. The church, clearly visible from anywhere in the district due to the large dome overlooking the town, has become, together with the Castle and bridges, one of the symbols of the city. Inside there are statues of the main patron saint of the city San Michele Arcangelo, San Rocco, San Gerardo, Sacro Cuore, Gesù morto, Martirio dei santi medici, Santa Rita, San Giovanni Bosco, Sant'Antonio da Padova, Santa Lucia, Madonna Immacolata, Addolorata, San Giuseppe.

Sanctuary of the Madonna della Scala

The sanctuary is located inside the ravine of the same name and is accessible via a staircase of 125 steps, which according to popular tradition can not be counted, as going down the stairs is a number and climbing a different number. The current sanctuary, dedicated to the Madonna della Scala, was built on top of an older chapel from 1729, designed by the engineer Scarcia of Taranto, and was finished and opened for worship in 1731. The façade is in Baroque style and the interior is a Latin cross. On the main altar is the icon of the Madonna della Scala. On the walls there are six other altars, three on each side: there is a painting by Nicola Galeone representing the Miracle of the Cerves and sixteen seventeenth-century paintings, works by the school of Cesare Fracanzano, depicting Apostles and Evangelists. The devotion to the Madonna della Scala originates from the "Miracle of the Cerves": according to legend some shepherds saw these animals linger repeatedly near a tuff rock on which a fresco of the Virgin was preserved, remains of a small chapel collapsed. The event, considered a miraculous sign, gave rise to devotional pilgrimages and the construction of a church, later replaced by the current one.

Church of Santi Medici

The church, dedicated to Saints Cosma and Damian is located in the so-called "Serra". In ancient times there was a cave called "della Salute", where water gushed out, considered miraculous. The source was dedicated to the Dioscuri, and with the advent of Christianity it was dedicated to the two "Medici Saints". The current structure dates back to 1720 and has a single nave with a rectangular plan. There are frescoes of the eighteenth century and a small sixteenth-century fresco with the Medici Saints, located at the sacristy. During the feast of the Medici Saints (27-29 September) a procession starts from here, with the statues brought by the "muschier", which runs through the town to the hospital "Matteo Pagliari".

Church of Our Lady of All Graces

The Marian church dedicated to Our Lady of All Graces is located in the southern part of the ravine of the Madonna della Scala, in correspondence of the "Forks". It was built between 1648 and 1655, following the miraculous appearance of the Virgin to a shepherdess, to whom she asked the construction of a church on the site itself. According to tradition, the young girl went to report the event to the bishop of Mottola, Thomas Aquinas, who, however, initially did not believe her and was convinced to build the building only after a series of bad weather. The building has a single nave with four side altars. To the right of the main altar are the remains of the rock church of Sant'Eustachio. Outside there are the remains of two other rock churches: Santa Maria Maddalena and Santa Parasceve. The church is not recognized Sanctuary, despite the miracles, by the diocesan body.

Church of Child Jesus

The temple stands in the homonymous district, in U' Bommin dialect, in Largo Ciura and is flanked by a Franciscan convent. The origin of the sanctuary is linked to a wax statue of the Child Jesus considered miraculous. The statue, purchased on Christmas Eve 1846 by Isabella Acolytes Gil, married to the noble Francesco Broia would in fact exude and three years later there would appear traces of blood. Isabella’s prayers to the statue were also attributed to the healing of her husband, who had suffered from bleeding. King Ferdinand II gave permission to build the sanctuary dedicated to the Prodigious Statuette in 1850: the church and the adjoining convent were designed by the architect Sante Simone di Conversano and the church was opened for worship in 1858 by Bartolomeo D'Avanzo, bishop of Castellaneta. In 1945 it became a parish and in 1956 it was given the title of sanctuary by Monsignor Francesco Potenza. The church consists of a single nave, with four side chapels. The façade is neoclassical, flanked by two small bell towers. Inside a case holds the miraculous statuette; on it is placed a gold crown donated by Cardinal Benedetto Aloisi Masella on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the miracle in 1950. The sanctuary is one of the five churches in Europe dedicated to the Child Jesus.

Church of Sant'Agostino with convent

The complex dedicated to Saint Augustine is expressly baroque and dates back to the mid-sixteenth century. The church is currently deconsecrated, therefore no longer used for worship, and together with the adjoining convent, after an internal renovation, was dedicated to the performance of concerts and cultural events

Church of San Benedetto with former monastery

The church was built towards the end of the seventeenth century in the Baroque style of Puglia, by will of woman Maddalena Capreoli. Work began in 1710 on a project by the engineer Donato Toselli, of the school of the architect Mauro Manieri from Lecce, and was finished in 1765 with money from the University of Massafra (the then municipal institution). The church has a rich Baroque facade and is a single nave with side altars, with paintings by Domenico Antonio Carella and Vincenzo Fato. The interior is decorated with ivory stuccoes on a blue background made by Saverio Amodeo in 1764. The pavement of the presbytery is in marble and in the center there is the ancient coat of arms of Massafra. In the choir there is a bellows organ of 1768.

There are many other churches around the city, but these were the ones that you cannot miss.

Civil and militar architecture

Town hall

The town hall of Massafra, located in Piazza Garibaldi, was built in 1841, designed by the architect Campanella and by the will of the mayor De Carlo. It has replaced the old town hall inside Palazzo La Liscia, in the district of Santi Medici. It houses the council hall and the "Teatro comunale", the local theatre.

Clock Tower

The "Clock Tower" is located in Piazza Garibaldi, at the beginning of Via Vittorio Veneto, in front of Via Laterra. Built in the eighteenth century by the feudal lord Michele II Imperiale as a civic tower, it reaches a height of 22 m and is equipped with 18th century bells. It has a baroque decoration, in accordance with the coeval church of San Benedetto. In the period of the Epiphany from this tower there is the "descent of the Befana", during which a fireman, disguised as Befana, descends from the tower to the opposite side throwing candy below.

Massafra’s Castle

The Castle of Massafra is located in the historic center, in the locality of Pizzo and overlooks the ravine of San Marco. The first reliable information of the castle dates back to 970, while in a document of 1081 the castle is owned by Riccardo Senescalco. With the Angevin domination, the castle assumed the appearance of a fortress with bastions and crenellated towers. It underwent further transformations under the Aragonese and in the eighteenth century the Imperial family rebuilt the octagonal tower and the facade towards the ravine, the work of the architect Mauro Manieri. The castle subsequently passed into the possession of several owners and was finally purchased by the City. A stamp dedicated to the castle was issued on 13 April 2007. The main entrance, on Via La Terra, leads into the so-called parade ground and leads to a ramp that led to the drawbridge on the facade of the castle, of which the pulleys are still visible, and from this to the inner courtyard of the castle; in the square there was also a well. A staircase in the inner courtyard of the castle allows access to the upper floor where were the rooms of the mansion. In the lower floors there were rooms used for different uses: stables, barns, armoury, prisons (corresponding to the towers on Via La Terra and the octagonal tower), warehouses, snow and pits (where the pitch for the torches was kept). There was also a chapel dedicated to San Lorenzo. According to popular tradition there are secret passages and a gallery that connects the castle to the sea. During the second half of the '900 several restorations were made to the structure: in 1965 the south-west tower was repaired, which had collapsed, and in 1975 the parapet that had collapsed. Around 2000 the east tower was consolidated and the square in front of the Castle was rearranged; a modern lift was installed. The rooms of the castle are used as the seat of the "Civic Library" and the "Civic Historical-Archaeological Museum of the civilization of oil and wine".

Traditions and folklore

Massafra’s Carnival

The Carnival of Massafra - Magia dello Jonio is a Carnacial event, among the most important of the Puglia Region, which takes place annually in the city of Massafra, in the province of Taranto. Considered one of the most festive, unlike other carnivals most of the route of the parade of floats is not blocked and citizens and foreigners can participate directly in the animation and fun.The Italian government has recognised it as one of the historic carnivals of Italy. The Carnival of Massafra begins for centuries-old tradition on January 17, the day when the feast of Saint Anthony abbot, from which derives the popular saying: «De Sant'Antuone, maschere e suòne», "Since Sant'Antonio, masks and sounds"

On this day, the farmers, housewives and housewives led their cattle to the annual ceremony of the blessing of domestic and business animals, which was given in the open space in front of the ancient church of Saint Anthony abbot, owned by the Chapter, which before the construction of the Pagliari Hospital, was in the open countryside, outside the gates of the town. In 1951, on the eve of Lent, some young people from Massarosa organized a joke: They had posters announcing a bullfight for the last Sunday of carnival in the main square of the city and the day of the event, with the citizens concerned because they were unaware of the hoax, a bizarre procession showed up, with a papier-mâché bull supported by two boys, quadrillas, a matador, a vet in white coat and picadores riding broomsticks. The following year, on 24 and 26 February, a first prize competition was held by masked groups: the winners were the forty elements of the "Goldoni" filodrammatica with The Emperor of Capri. Finally, in 1953 the Municipality of Massafra organized the first edition of the Carnival massafrese, with the traditional parade of floats. The process of setting up the wagons is quite complex and lasts about 4-5 months: the first phase is that of the creation of a clay shape: we must give the shape all the smallest details, without neglecting anything in order to make it become characteristic. When the clay form is complete, it is covered with oil and plaster is poured on it, on which, after it has cooled and is sprinkled with oil, the papier-mâché will be adhered. The paper used for papier-mâché is that of newspapers, soaked in a glue produced with water and flour: the paper is divided into thin strips and is adhered to the mold. As soon as it is dried, the papier-mâché is removed from the mould and assembled with the help of cards and hot glue, after this step, the "pupo" is coated with paper, after which it is ready to be painted and finally polished.

Gibergallo and Lu pagghiuse

The official masks of the Carnival of Massafra are Gibergallo and Lu Pagghiùsë. The first is a cheerful clown dressed in a black tailcoat and a cock on a leash, the second is the stereotype of the farmer massafrese, followed by a saddlebag and a gloomy gloomy. Their designation had a long and complex process: in 2003 the Carnival Foundation of Massafra proposed, after public competition, to proclaim Lu pagghiusë as the official mask of the Carnival, while in 2005 the then mayor of Massafra, Giuseppe Cofano, announced at a press conference that Gibergallo would be the official mask. Only in November 2008, the city council decided that both characters were recognized as official masks of the Massafra’s Carnival .

Palio della Mezzaluna

Organized by the cultural association "MassafraNostra", under the patronage of the Apulia Region, chairmanship of the regional government, the Municipality of Massafra and the "Consulta delle Associazioni", the ancient historical event-re-enactment in costume will go to dust the memory of the events happened between massafresi and Turks near the springs of the river Tara, September 14, 1594 through also a competition between athletes of the six districts of Massafra: San Marco, Pappacoda, Imperial, Child Jesus, Medici Saints, Saint Catherine.

Sleep

B&B Appia Antica: Located in Massafra in Via Appia 20, at 0,8 km from the town centre, in the Apulia Region, B&B Appia Antica offers accommodation with free private parking.all of it for more or less € 50,00 per night for a room of two people, breakfast is not included.

B&B Santa Marina: Just 450 metres from the historic centre and the ancient Piazza Garibaldi, Via Lopizzo 6 offers accommodation with flat-screen satellite TV, tiled or parquet floors, and a private bathroom with slippers, hairdryer and free toiletries, while some apartments have a kitchenette, balcony or Jacuzzi, for € 65,00 per night for two people. Breakfast is included. The coast can be reached in 15 minutes by car from the bed & breakfast Santa Marina.

B&B Casa Camilla: Set in the historic centre of Massafra, in the district of Gesù Bambino, near the Mooney us Church, in Via Messapia 84,Casa Camilla offers elegant air-conditioned rooms with a balcony. It offers a terrace with sea views.  Wi-Fi is free in public areas. The restored 19th century building features vaulted ceilings, patterned floors and exposed tuff details. The basement houses features ancient cave dwellings.In the morning you can choose between an Italian, English or Mediterranean breakfast, that are included served in the special room on the top floor or on the terrace during the summer, the rooms are equipped with TV and private bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries. Most rooms have views of the sea, while some overlook the city. Bicycle storage and parking are free.The staff speaks Italian, English and German. All of this costs you € 65,00 per night for two people.

Eat

Ritrovo degli Ostinati: a little gem in the Santi Medici districts, with a beautiful view of the castle and a fantastic menu that mix tradition and modernity, the price range is from a minimum of 20 euros p.p from up to 40 euros p.p.

Locanda di Zia Rirì: another beautiful place in the historical centre, but just in front of the Duomo of Massafra, for a price range of a minimum of 20 euros p.p from up to 40 euros p.p.

If you prefer to have something simple and fast you can always go to a supermarket, or at one of our cafes, to get an “aperitivo” or some kind of lunch, or if you want to get out in the evening you can get here and have something to drink:

• Bar Aurora
• Tornerai
• History Cafè