What to do and see in Province of Taranto, Puglia: The Best Historic Sites

Visite guidate ed escursioni nella terra delle gravine e delle grotte di Dio. Venite con noi indietro nel tempo alla scoperta di profondi e spettacolari canjon, meravigliose chiese affrescate e maestosi villaggi rupestri. Presso l'Infopoint di Mottola troverete tutte le informazioni per vivere un'escursione da sogno

Built in 1393, accordingly to the inscription on the polrtal, the palace was the residence of the D'Azzia, family of Neapolitan origin, and of the Perez Navarrete, family of Spanish origin. Over the centuries the castle has undergone many changes, transforming itself from a fortified residence to a palace.

The hypogeum Bellacicco is a hypogeum structure. Its peculiarity which makes this structure unique all over the historic and artistic landscape of Taranto is that in it we can find records of all the ages and the historical periods dating back from Taranto's foundation by the Spartans up to the XVII century, date of the building of the homonymous noble palace. The hypogeum is divided into 4 rooms (5-8 metres hight) and shows an extension of 800 square metres and a depth which reaches, at the lovest levels (4 altogher) 16 metres under the street basement and 4 metres under the sea level. The structure, in central position as regards the isle of the historic centre, represents a crossroad with the other hypogeum structures of the ancient village that constitues, on the whole, the system of "Taranto Underground" that reaches and radiates just from the hypogeum de Beaumont Bonelli Bellacicco. Thought it is difficult to set a precise date of building and the different historic developments of the structure, all the historical, archeological and geological studies report as date of the first building of the hypogeum the period of foundation of Taranto city when the Spartans extracted the first rock banks to build the first constructions and fortifications. Later this area of the historical centre will be called Caves Area.The structure is private property and privately run without public financing. It currently houses the Cultural Association "Filonide" and it is the only hypogeum structure fully restored and accessible in the historical centre. The restoration of the structure (lasted 6 years) was realized by the family funds of its current owners (family Bellacicco) without public or private financing. In 2007 it received the acknoledgement as remarkable cultural heritage by the Minister for cultural heritage and activities by the apposition of a display at the entrance of the structure. The hypogeum is object of different degree thesis in Italy and in the U.S.A and it is a container of cultural and artistic events of different kind