Explore the Itria Valley!
filling your gaze with a timeless magic
The Itria Valley. A land dotted with charming whitewashed villages, where a fairytale atmosphere invites you to lose yourself in its beauty.
It welcomes you with vast stretches of olive trees unlike anywhere else in the world—so uniquely beautiful, born from that fragrant red soil that paints the landscape in a stunning array of colors. This is the Itria Valley, also known as the Valley of the Trulli, stretching across the provinces of Bari, Brindisi, and Taranto. It includes the towns of Alberobello, Carovigno, Castellana Grotte, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino, Fasano, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Noci, Ostuni, Putignano, San Michele Salentino, San Vito dei Normanni, and Villa Castelli.
Ostuni is the quintessential White City—the only town in the valley with access to the sea. It gets its name from its distinctive old town, once entirely whitewashed with lime, now only partially so. Together with Taranto and Santa Maria di Leuca, Ostuni forms one of the ideal corners of the Salento peninsula.
Maybe it’s the whitewashed buildings, or the lush vegetation that frames them—but every town, every village in the valley is wrapped in a magical, almost fairytale-like atmosphere.
At the heart of the Itria Valley, a must-see is Alberobello with its iconic trulli, which have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996. It’s impossible not to be enchanted while walking through the Monti and Aja Piccola districts.
In Alberobello, among the trulli and in a truly spectacular setting, the Living Nativity is staged each December, while the Passion of Christ is reenacted on Good Friday.
In Martina Franca, every July for nearly 40 years, the Valley of Itria Festival has brought opera and classical music to life.
And on the hill overlooking the elegant village of Fasano lies the famous Selva di Fasano, home to the Zoosafari—a park perfect for both adults and children that offers an unforgettable experience with over 40 animal species living in semi-wild conditions.
But Alberobello isn’t the only gem. The countryside throughout the area is dotted with these iconic trulli structures. Take Cisternino, for example—perched in the so-called Murgia of the Trulli—recognized, along with nearby Locorotondo, as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.”
Locorotondo, known until the mid-19th century as “Luogorotondo” for the distinctive circular layout of its historic center, is part of La Terra dei Trulli.
Not to be missed is a true “journey to the center of the Earth” at the Castellana Caves (in the town of Castellana Grotte), where the Grave—the first and largest chamber, and the only one connected to the outside—and the dazzling White Cave will leave any visitor speechless.
The Castellana Caves are open all year round and can be explored with the help of expert tour guides.
Also enriching the experience are walks, workshops, and tastings at the many masserie didattiche—educational farms scattered throughout the region. These agritourism estates offer hands-on learning experiences not only for school groups but for all visitors: from observing and studying nature, to fruit harvesting, hands-on product processing, crafting small items from wicker, and sampling local delicacies.
Just a few kilometers outside the province of Bari lies Martina Franca, the most populous town in the Itria Valley, renowned above all for its magnificent Baroque architecture and its namesake music festival.
Copyright texts and photographs:
1- https://www.italia.it/it/ostuni-e-la-valle-ditria
2- https://www.viaggiareinpuglia.it/ter/PE14/it/Valle-d-Itria-e-Murgia-dei-trulli
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