Osteria del Tempo Perso
What to order: the tegamino of cardoncelli mushrooms in a bread crust and some orecchiette with turnip tops.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 40.76° N · 17.33° E
Underground in the morning, the white city in the afternoon.
The full itinerary of the Grotte di Castellana to the Grotta Bianca, Ostuni-style cooking beside the cathedral and the afternoon in the alleys of Ostuni.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Bari fromBarcelona 2 h 15Valencia 2 h 45Madrid 3 hSevilla 3 h 15
Part of Itria Valley
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car45 min each way
From SpainPlane to Bari and hire car
From Bari46 min by car to the caves
Underground3 km · 100 min with a guide
DifficultyEasy, slippery floor
Best timeAll year · best April – October
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Bari 45 min by car
Buy the full route online the day before
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1
Guided visit to the Grotte di Castellana
Full route with the Grotta Bianca · €25 at the ticket office
+39 080 499 8221
- 1 h by car53 km
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2
Osteria del Tempo Perso
Booking; closed on Mondays · park below and walk up
Via G. Tanzarella Vitale, 47, 72017 Ostuni · +39 0831 304819
Restaurant €€€Book - 8 min on foot
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3
Ostuni, the White Town: walled old town and cathedral
From the cathedral to the wall
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Back home
In Bari around 19:45
Approximate cost
About €60–85 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Guided visit to the Grotte di Castellana
A day of contrasts less than an hour from Bari: the morning underground, in the Grotte di Castellana, and the afternoon at the top of Ostuni, the white city, with lunch in between in an old oven dug into the rock. It is a plan that stands up to any weather, because inside the caves it is 16.5 °C all year, and it works on a Sunday.
Getting there from Spain
By plane and car. There are direct flights to Bari from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. Hire a car at the airport and sleep in Bari: the caves are about 46 minutes away. Ostuni is also about 25 km from Brindisi airport, if you arrive there with a connection.
The day, hour by hour
8:30 · Leave Bari. About 46 minutes by car to Castellana Grotte. Buy the ticket online the day before: on the same day it is no longer sold online, only at the ticket office and until the sittings are full.
9:30 · Grotte di Castellana. Choose the full itinerary: 3 km in about 100 minutes with a guide, from the Grave, the chasm by which you enter, to the Grotta Bianca, the white cave of calcite crystals. It costs €25 at the ticket office, €22 for ages 6 to 14. Bring shoes with grip and something with long sleeves. Pushchairs do not go in: they lend baby carriers free.
13:30 · Lunch at the Osteria del Tempo Perso. Drive to Ostuni, park below, outside the wall, and walk up to the cathedral: the osteria is a few metres away. Eat in the old 16th-century oven or in the granary, with a tegamino of cardoncelli mushrooms in a bread crust, orecchiette with turnip tops or fava purée with chicory. Book; the table is cancelled after 20 minutes' delay. It does not admit dogs or children under 6.
16:00 · Ostuni, the white city. From the Gothic cathedral, go down without a map through the whitewashed alleys to the wall, and look from there across the plain of olive trees that reaches the sea.
18:30 · Return to Bari. A little over an hour by car.
With children
The caves work very well with children: there is a family ticket online and under-5s go in free; with little ones, choose the partial itinerary, of 50 minutes. The Osteria del Tempo Perso admits children only from age 6: with smaller ones, eat somewhere else in Ostuni or take a picnic.
Time1 h 40
Change the route
Tuesday to Friday, between the caves and Ostuni: one-hour tasting at the winery, €15; no visits on Sunday:
Vineyards and Itria Valley white wine tasting at I Pàstini
If you prefer trulli to caves: Alberobello is about 25 minutes from Castellana:
Alberobello on foot: the Rione Monti and the Trullo Sovrano
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Bina, ristorante di Puglia
What to order: a fresh pasta made that day and a Locorotondo DOC white.
Il Poeta Contadino
What to order: the broad bean purée with cavatelli and seafood, and a wine from its cellar on the dining room's advice.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Itria Valley
All year, Tuesday to Sunday, because the Osteria del Tempo Perso is closed on Mondays. The caves are always at 16.5 °C, so the plan also works in winter or on a hot August day. In summer Ostuni fills up in the afternoon.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the day before
Online you pay a fee, but you secure a sitting.
- 2Go up to Ostuni with time to spare
From the car park there are slopes, and the osteria does not wait more than 20 minutes.
- 3Wrap up a little
Inside the caves it is 16.5 °C in August too.
If it is very hot
This is the plan for August days: the morning at 16.5 °C and Ostuni as the evening falls.
We'd skip it
Monday, if you want to eat at the Osteria del Tempo Perso: it is its closing day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Bari to the Grotte di Castellana?
About 46 minutes by car, about 42 km.
How long does the cave visit last?
About 100 minutes for the full itinerary and about 50 for the partial one.
How much does the day cost?
About €70 to €100 per person with admission to the caves and lunch, without the car.
Can it be done in winter?
Yes. The caves are visited all year and the osteria is open every day except Monday.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/italy/apulia/itria-valley/itineraries/castellana-caves-ostuni-day-from-bari
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.