Gravina in Puglia takes its name from the watercourse that flowed in the furrow of the limestone rock pockmarked by the caves of the Botromagno hill, one of the largest archaeological areas in Italy, once places of worship and dwellings. The Gravina torrent divided the town in two, and to cross it today you have to walk over the bridge-viaduct or aqueduct built by the Orsini family. The town’s history often crosses paths with this noble family and there are many monuments linked to their name, such as the funeral chapel of Santa Maria del Suffragio or of the Purgatory, the Monumental Fountain, the Orsini Palace and the small church of Santa Sofia, which houses the tomb of Duchess Angela Castriota Scanderberg. Not to be missed is a visit to the Cathedral Basilica, where the baptismal font where the future Pope Benedict XIII, born Pietro Francesco Orsini, was baptised, and the impressive organ with 2135 pipes. Then there is the fascinating Gravina Underground, twice the size of the historic centre, where among cellars, wells, majestic aqueducts and even medieval towers you can admire a world carved out of rock.

At the foot of the Botromagno hill stands the little church of the Madonna della Stella, so called because a fresco of the Virgin with a child with a star on his forehead was allegedly found here. The perfect reconstruction of the rock church of San Vito Vecchio can be seen in the building that houses the Santomasi Museum Foundatin, where it is possible to admire the original furnishings, majolica, period costumes and an interesting collection of wine vases and red-figure amphorae from the 4th century BC with scenes of bacchanal and grape harvesting.