Martin van Groenigen
De Borghi più belli d'Italia, you must have heard of the list. This is because it contains the most beautiful villages or towns in Italy. Cisternino is such a town. White houses, narrow creep-through-sneak-through-streets, the always fluttering laundry and so on. The people are nice here, their smile is contagious and we haven't even mentioned the nice restaurants (with the fantastic specialties) and shops in the village. If you are in Puglia, you should definitely not miss Cisternino.
Table of contents
Where is the best place to eat in Cisternino?
1. Le Tre Lanterne
Vittorio Emanuele Square 34
A special phenomenon in Cisternino (and probably elsewhere in Italy too) are the butchers where you walk into, point to something and then eat it in the restaurant next door. That's how it works at Le Tre Lanterne.
You enter the restaurant through the butcher's shop where you can see all kinds of meat on the counter. Sit down – or point to something right away – and enjoy. Of course the bowler hats here of a high level and definitely recommended, but also the orecchiette with ragù from wild boar or the cut are to die for.
Oh, and don't forget to order a glass of wine from one of the local wineries.
2. Micro
Via Santa Lucia 53
If you go on holiday to Italy and you drop the word vegetarian, or even worse, vegan, then the prejudices are often immediately apparent. 'Italy really isn't a country for people who don't eat animals. That is precisely what makes Italy so special, its cuisine.'
Buongiorno 1860, it's 2022 and even in Italy the big V-word has landed. Vegetarian, vegan, anything: it's possible. Micro is such a vegan friendly restaurant.
Still close to Italian cuisine, but the fried pillow has given way to mushrooms and the large cuts of meat have been exchanged for seasonal produce from the country. Who would have thought that!
3. Off Topic
Piazza Pellegrino Rossi 27
oh de grip† The what? The grip† A cross between a pizza and a focaccia. At Off Topic they come in all shapes and sizes. Pumpkin and pecorino, salsiccia and artichoke, but also the classics such as tuna, diavola and quattro stagioni have made it onto the menu.
Although there may only be two letters different in the word, and at first glance it quite resembles the pizza, the grip really another thing. Ideal for lunch when you don't feel like a giant pizza.
And oh, at Off Topic you can sit outside in the sun on the square from January (!). And that is enjoyment I can tell you. Whether with a pizza or a grip is.
4. Bère Vecchie
Via Regina Elena 8
You've probably heard me about it before: the phenomenon antipasti† In Puglia there is no such thing as one starter and on to the rest of the menu. If you want to do it right, you order the antipasti and you just keep on serving plates.
Bere Vecchie is good at that too. Classics from the region such as the bowler hats en capocollo be mixed with a slightly more exciting palette such as cime di rape with soy sauce or… well, I won't spoil it all.
It's fun. You also sit here very cozy on the colored furniture inside or outside, the staff is super attentive and at the end of the evening you really have the idea that you have tasted (almost) all of Puglia.
5. 110 Cavalli
Via San Quirico 24
Fancy a appetizer, a nightcap or a nightcap before going to bed? This is your go to address from now on. At 110 cavalli, also called centodieci cavalli, the '110 horses', you will find everything you need.
A terrace with a fantastic view over the Valle d'Itria, many evenings full of live music, a host who knows his business and can tell you a good story with all kinds of liqueur he has and that's not even talking about the extras with the appetizer.
This is one of those places where, when you sit there, you think: yes, now we've got it right, we'll toast to that. Not too much, because then you will count 110 horses in your bed later instead of 110 sheep. Oh well, that might just be a good night's sleep.
Fun things to do in Cisternino
1. Seconda colazione at Bar Palazzo
Corso Umberto I 103
I already mentioned him in an earlier article about how to feel like an Italian on vacation as quickly as possible. The second colazione, the second breakfast. If you can do that well, it's here at Bar Palazzo.
Never before have I seen so many different kinds of sweet rolls with all kinds of different fillings. Choose something from the display case (the croissants filled with pistachio or cream are divine), order your coffee and sit inside, hang out at the bar or even better: outside on the terrace.
The villagers greet each other, have a chat and continue. If your hobby is people watching from the patio, this is the place.
2. Shop Puglia Classics at the shop of Masseria Cervarolo
Via Regina Margherita 54
Just before Cisternino you will find a beautiful farm† You can of course spend the night here, but you can also follow cooking workshops or wine tastings. In addition, they give excursions throughout Puglia.
Not only that! These smart guys came up with the idea of combining everything that makes Puglia Puglia into one shop. With great success. Taralli, fine wines, cheeses, meats, olive oils. But also organic tea, herbs, chocolate.
The shop can be compared to the Dille & Kamille in the Netherlands, only the soothing music is missing. Definitely worth a visit if you are looking for special wines from Puglia or taralli with a different taste such as fennel seed or Chili pepper.
3. Viewpoint over the Valle d'Itria
Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi 4
On the edge of the old town you will find a high vantage point over the Valle d'Itria. Everywhere you look you see trulli and if you look too long, it looks like you are in the Efteling.
From the vantage point you can see almost all the highlights of this part of Puglia: Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Ceglie Messapica and probably more that I have not yet discovered.
Around the point there are benches to relax and (of course) several old men are playing cards or waiting for a chat.
4. Shopping in Cisternino . on Mondays
Food and Drink Area of the Market: Piazza dei Navigatori
Non-food part of the market: Via Regina Margherita / Via Dante Alighieri
Monday market day in Cisternino. Where in the Netherlands you can often stand with a megaphone on a Monday morning in 80% of the places, but nobody hears you, Cisternino is the place to be on Monday morning. place to be.
The market is not as big as in Martina Franca, for example, but you will still find everything you need. Everyone knows each other, greets each other and has a smile on their face. This is striking about Cisternino: the people here are very nice, they like to have a chat with you and they enjoy having you there.
That actually makes your visit to the market even more fun. The physiotherapist from the village gives (unsolicited) advice to the market vendors on how to declare the bags without immediately shooting into a hernia.
One stall offers up against the other and where the kiwis are sold at one for 60 euro cents per kilo, at the end of the day the other's red, yellow and green pepperoni are sold for rock bottom prices.
5. bombette eat at one of the many butcher shops
Cisternino is known for its meat specialty de bombette. In popular parlance you can compare this with a slavink on a gourmet set, but with this I probably knock an x number of culinary readers against the chest.
De bowler hats are small packages, often of a mix of pork, beef and other meats, with a slice of pancetta around them. Sometimes there is something else in it such as cheese or mortadella.
In Cisternino you will find many butchers where you can buy all kinds of bowler hats sees lying. You can point them out and eat them on the terrace in front of the door or in the adjacent restaurant.
More information about Cisternino?
Discover Cisternino on the website of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
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