Castle, the monastery of San Benedetto and the landscape of karst lakes
On a hill a short way inland from Polignano, Conversano is one of the most beautiful historic towns in the province of Bari, rich in monuments and history. For centuries it was the seat of the Acquaviva d'Aragona counts, a powerful feudal family, and its centre is dominated by the Castle, of Norman origin, with a polygonal tower and a cylindrical tower, which houses the art gallery with the cycle of paintings of Paolo Finoglio depicting Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered.
Next to it, the Romanesque cathedral has a fine rose window and portal. The monastery of San Benedetto, founded in the tenth or eleventh century, is famous for a unique history: from 1266 it was governed by Cistercian nuns whose abbess enjoyed the privileges of a bishop, wearing a mitre and holding a crozier, so much so that it was called the "Monstrum Apuliae", the wonder of Apulia; its Romanesque cloister and baroque church can be visited. Around Conversano the countryside is dotted with about ten small karst lakes, ponds formed in the limestone, a rarity in arid Apulia, which form a protected natural landscape. Conversano is also famous for its cherries, the "Ferrovia" variety.
Tip: the cherry festival is held in June; Conversano is an excellent base, a few kilometres from the sea and the Castellana caves.
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