Bombette
A speciality of the town, a ‘bombetta’ is a parcel of meat filled with cheese, more meat and spices, which is rolled up and cooked on a grill or in the oven. Purchase them from one of the ‘Fornelli’ in the old town, butchers’ shops which prepare and cook the bombette while you sit outside at one the tables. Delicious!
Festivals
Not surprisingly, Cisternino has a festival dedicated to pasta, the ‘Sagra della Orecchiette’ (pasta shaped like little ears), which originates from Puglia. It takes place the 2nd weekend in August with a medieval parade and tournament, fireworks, music and food. September sees a wine festival, whilst on the last Sunday of May, the local wine producers open their doors to the public, not just in Cisternino but throughout Puglia.
Nearby beaches
You are never too far from the coast in Puglia. From Cisternino, take your pick from the beaches in the National Coastal Dune Park – Torre Canne (small seaside resort with fine sand and shallow waters), Lido Bizzarro, Lido Morelli (fine white sand, surrounded by sand dunes) down to Torre San Leonardo (at the far end of the Il Pilone beach).
Gardens
Situated between Cisternino and Locorotondo, the Giardini di Pomona are botanical gardens which are home to many types of flora, but particularly a large collection of over 600 varieties of fig tree, and other fruit trees such as pomegranates, apples, pears and citruses.
