Top 16 Caves around Cisternino

The "Donna di Ostuni" is the 28,000-year-old skeleton of a Paleolithic woman, approximately 20 years old, found in the Santa Maria di Agnano cave near Ostuni. The "world's oldest human mother" died in late pregnancy, her fetus in the 8th or 9th month. The skeleton is on display at the Museum of Preclassic Civilizations of the Southern Murgia (Museo di Civiltà Preclassiche della Murgia Meridionale) in Ostuni.

A stroll along the seafront in the center of the Villanova marina

In 1278 the walls of Villanova were built, and about 20 years later the castle was built by the Angevins, who took over the domination of Ostuni from the Swabian-Normans, who were responsible for the intensification of olive cultivation. From surviving documents, demonstrating its strategic importance, it appears that around the 15th century the castle was a fully active defensive structure. In fact, the city of Ostuni under Aragonese domination, thanks also to the castle and the small port of Villanova, managed to maintain the status of a state city, therefore free from feudal duties. Due to the various destructions over time, little remains of the original 14th-century construction. Currently the castle is made up of three bodies that act as square towers with a sloped base. Around the building, at the height of the first floor, runs a tubular torus and from the roof of the building rises a turret modeled on the prototype of a lighthouse. Ref. https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/castello-del-porto-turistico-di-villanova-ostuni

it is a tourist port protected by two piers: the eastern pier 70 m long with quayside and bollards and the western pier 280 m long. Inside the dock there are some docks reserved for pleasure boats

The 12th century church of San Biagio in Rialbo opens onto a natural cave. It is best to reach it from the Strada dei Colli rather than from the valley if you are a beginner MTB rider.

The Sanctuary of San Biagio in Ostuni is located in one of the most beautiful natural contexts in the province of Brindisi. Whether you reach the church from the top of the hill or go up the hill from the plain, the route is immersed in lush nature and characterized by stone artefacts which, due to their form and functions, bear witness to settlements from various eras. On February 3, however, the day on which the Saint is celebrated, the pilgrims' route is usually the easiest for everyone. Arriving from the panoramic Strada dei Colli you will find a sign with the indication. The path to reach the site is equally beautiful because it immerses you in the typical Murgia nature, rich in pastures and Mediterranean scrub shrubs. Before going down to the church, here comes the boundless view of the Piana degli Ulivi centenaries, in the area occupied by the Parco delle Dune Costiere. From here, if the sky is clear, the Adriatic Sea appears an intense turquoise. At this point a narrow descent p

Nice ride even on rocks and beaches

The Archaeological Park of Santa Maria di Agnano is an area of 13 hectares near Ostuni, where there is a cave used for female rituals and cults for 30,000 years. Two Paleolithic burials have been discovered here, including the famous woman of Ostuni, a pregnant woman from 27,000 years ago. In the Park there are also evidences of the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, the Messapians and the Christians.