Grottaglie between Ceramic Culture and Gravina di Riggio

Grottaglie combines a distinctive ceramic culture with historic festivals and a striking ravine landscape. This creates a destination where cultural impressions can be combined with insights into workshops, traditional events and the Gravina di Riggio.

Ceramics and Architectural Heritage at Castello Episcopio

The Museo della ceramica di Grottaglie documents the historical and artistic development of ceramic art and is housed in Castello Episcopio. The museum contains 500 works dating from the 8th century BC to the present day. The castle itself has an inner tower more than 28 metres high, with four independent levels.

Events Throughout the Year

The Mostra della Ceramica takes place every year at Castello Episcopio in August and September. The Mostra del Presepe follows every year in December and January. In addition, “Buongiorno Ceramica!” has been promoted in Grottaglie by AiCC every year since 2018 on the penultimate weekend of May. These dates give ceramic culture and the events calendar different seasonal highlights.

Workshops, Exhibitions and Underground Traces

The Quartiere delle Ceramiche comprises around fifty ceramic workshops carved into the rock; some still preserve ancient kilns. In the workshops, you can observe the various stages of ceramic production and purchase finished ceramic products directly on site.

Casa Vestita houses temporary exhibitions on the ceramic culture of Grottaglie as well as a medieval rock church dating from the 13th century. In the Frantoio Ipogeo Bottega Dormiente, traces of kilns and presses have been preserved, bearing witness to the cave’s different uses over time.

Festivals and the Flavours of Grottaglie

The Festa Patronale di San Ciro was introduced in 1721 and is celebrated on 31 January in Grottaglie, in the province of Taranto. It includes a procession with the statue of the saint through the city streets, accompanied by the town band. At Tenuta Venterra in Contrada Mannara in Grottaglie, you can also taste the estate’s own products.

Gravina di Riggio and Practical Information

The Gravina di Riggio is a winding ravine approximately one kilometre long, up to 250 metres wide and almost 40 metres deep in places. The Gravina di Riggio mainly consists of caves and rock overhangs that have been adapted through limited excavation and partly supplemented with masonry. This also makes the site suitable for travellers who wish to admire geological formations alongside ceramic culture and the history of the town.

Grottaglie’s historic centre has a traffic-restricted zone with three entrance and exit gates. The ZTL in the historic centre is closed all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. When choosing a hotel in Grottaglie, you can plan your time around ceramics, festivals or the Gravina di Riggio without forcing these themes into a single type of stay.

Further destinations to plan your own trip: Lido Chiatona-stazione di Palagiano, Castellaneta Marina, Roccaforzata, Marina Di Ginosa, Martina Franca, Avetrana, Uggiano Montefusco and Librari.

For the overarching travel overview: Taranto.