Castellana Grotte
Comune
Comune di Castellana Grotte
Castellana Caves
Location of Castellana Grotte
Castellana Grotte Location of Castellana Grotte in Italy Show map of Italy Castellana Grotte Castellana Grotte (Apulia) Show map of Apulia
Coordinates: 40°53′N 17°10′E / 40.883°N 17.167°E / 40.883; 17.167
Country	Italy
Region	Apulia
Metropolitan city	Bari (BA)
Government
• Mayor	Domi Ciliberti
Area [1]
• Total	67.96 km2 (26.24 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	290 m (950 ft)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	19,435
• Density	290/km2 (740/sq mi)
Demonym	Castellanesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	70013
Dialing code	080
Patron saint	St. Mary, St. Leone
Saint day	January 12
Website	Official website

Castellana Grotte (Castellanese: Casteddône) is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. Grotte means "caves" in Italian.

History

Geography

Agricultural center of the lower Murgia, it is 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Bari.

Caves

One of the most important attractions in Apulia are the caves of Castellana Grotte, a system of caverns of the karst origin. Stalagmites, stalactites, canyons and caves characterise this pathway long 3 km to more than 60 meters deep. The Grotte of Castellana were discovered January 23, 1938 by cavers Franco Anelli and Vito Matarrese with the help of a little boy named Giovanni Mansueto who they sent down in search of the caves.

Notable residents

Francesco Laporta, professional golfer.^[4]