The Castel del Monte is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites you can find in the metropolitan region around Bari. It is a building from the era of the Stauffer Emperor Friedrich II and its octagonal form leaves the question about its function open. Its impressive appearance on the top of a hill fascinates its visitors from afar.

The Karst Landscape Dolina delle Murge, the Lamalunga grotto as well as the De Lucia gorge are candidates for the list of the UNESCO, too.

The Itria Valley stretches next to the province Bari along the provinces Brindisi and Taranto. It is also known as the Valley of the Trulli. The unique Trulli architecture is spread all over the valley; and the village Alberobello is the capital of the Trulli houses. It lies in the heart of the Valle d’Itria and counts more than 1,500 round dwellings. The UNESCO listed village attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world, every year. 

The most beautiful villages of the region

The villages Locorotondo and Cisternino lie in the so-called Murgia di Trulli and belong to the “Borghi più belli d’Italia.” The brilliant white houses of the village Locorotondo lie up on a hill above its century-old vineyards. The old town is arranged as a circle, what lead to the naming of the village. In the medieval times, it was called Locus Rotundus (round town). Its city image is characterized by the Cummerse houses, rectangular houses with tapered gable roofs and ash-grey tiles. The Roman-Gothic church Chiesa Madonna della Greca and the Early Christian Chiesa San Nicola from the 6th century are worth a visit.