Cisternino sits charmingly above the Valle d’Itria, almost as if it had settled there by chance and then decided to stay. It lies about 25 miles from Brindisi, the nearest major city and airport, and not far from places like Ostuni and Locorotondo, though it feels more self-contained than any of them.
From a distance, it looks like a cluster of white shapes pressed together, rising out of olive trees that stretch in every direction; up close, it feels smaller than expected, but also more intricate, almost as if the town had grown by adding one piece at a time, without ever following a plan.
