Description of the attraction
Grottaglie is a small resort town in the province of Taranto in the Italian region of Apulia. It is located on the Salento Peninsula, which separates the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The outskirts of the city are dotted with deep gorges and canyons, which gave the city its name: the word "grottaglie" comes from the Latin Kryptae Aliae, which means "many gorges." These gorges were inhabited by people back in the Paleolithic era. The historical part of Grottaglie in the Middle Ages was known as Casale Crypthalerum - it was founded by the inhabitants of the caves, who took refuge here from the raids of pirates. In the 11th century, Grottaglia became the possession of the bishops of Taranto, and in the 14th century, fortifications, defensive walls, the Castello Episcopio castle, and the Chiesa Matrice church were built here. Only in 1806 was feudal law abolished, and after the unification of Italy, Grottaglie was one of the first cities to develop outside the medieval walls.
Today Grottaglie is famous for its pottery and vine groves. In Taranto, the Greater Greece National Museum houses many of the antique pottery found in the Grottaglie area. Every year the city hosts various festivals dedicated to ceramics, such as the Ceramics in the Land of Ceramics exhibition, the Mediterranean Ceramics Competition, an exhibition of ceramic Christmas nurseries, etc.
Among the sights of Grottaglie are the same Castello Episcopio, the massive Baroque Palazzo Cicinelli in the main town square, Palazzo Urselli with a Romanesque facade and 15th century gates, Palazzo Magiulli Comet, Baroque Palazzo Blasi, San Francesco di Paola monastery with a magnificent courtyard and a cloister, the Chiesa del Carmine church with a 16th century stone nativity scene and the city's chapel known as Purgatory.
