Castellana Caves: A Top Destination in Puglia
The outcome of an exciting BIT for the Castellana karst site which attracts great interest among operators in the tourism sector while national and international journalists elect it an unmissable destination for 2016
Castellana Grotte, February 15, 2016 – BIT, the International Tourism Exchange, held in Milan from February 11 to 13, was a resounding success. The Grotte di Castellana Srl company participated alongside the Municipality of Castellana Grotte, sharing a stand with the Municipality of Alberobello. Over seventy meetings with international buyers, twenty-one different countries to build new business relationships with, approximately thirty hours of meetings and exchanges, and four different continents involved. These are the figures achieved by the Castellana Grotte during its three-day presence at one of Europe's most important trade fairs, which this year attracted over sixty thousand visitors from one hundred different countries.
The recognition received from international and national fashion and tourism journalists also met with great enthusiasm. Castellana Grotte and its priceless karst heritage were named one of the TOP 6 DESTINATIONS not to be missed for Spring/Summer 2016, calling it a slow and timeless journey from the Itria Valley to Salento, entitled "Puglia, the Flavor of Life." The town and the caves were promoted by Mayor Francesco Tricase and Domi Ciliberti, President of Grotte di Castellana srl, who spoke about them at two press conferences, held respectively at the prestigious Milan Press Club at Corso Venezia 48 and at the BIT at the Puglia Region stand on February 11 and 12. Both conferences were organized by Carmen Mancarella, editor of the travel and culture magazine Mediterraneo Spiagge.
The press conference was packed, both at the Press Club, where over two hundred journalists crowded into the Tobagi room, and at the Puglia Region stand, with fifty journalists, all fashion and tourism experts, pleasantly surprised by the unexpected presence of singer-songwriter Eugenio Finardi, who spoke of his love for Puglia and his exciting experience as artistic director of the latest edition of "Natale nelle Grotte."
"Our mission," stated Domi Ciliberti, president of Grotte di Castellana srl, during his press conference, "is to offer visitors to the caves new experiences and give them another reason to visit and return. This year's Christmas in the Caves event, curated by maestro Eugenio Finardi, was a huge success, while Hell in the Cave, the unique aerial show inspired by Dante's Inferno, has become a regular event. "Speleonight," the fascinating tour of the caves in the dark, has also been a popular event for years. With our eyes closed, our other senses, such as hearing, are heightened. This allows us to perceive life in the caves, to experience them as a living organism, as they truly are. A unique experience. Grotte di Castellana srl also won the European Eden Award for its accessible tour."
"From this year," emphasized the mayor of Castellana Grotte, Professor Francesco Tricase, "we will offer a single ticket that includes a visit to the Caves and the wonderful historic center, beneath which other karst caves have been discovered that we intend to equip and open to the public. For this reason, we can say, without fear of contradiction, that Castellana is a unique site in the world because it boasts the greatest concentration of caves. But what most fascinates every tourist who visits us is our lifestyle: even in the dead of winter, on January 11th, there's a good reason to come to Castellana. We organize, in fact, a unique festival: the Night of the One Hundred Bonfires, the Fanove, which are built and lit in honor of the Madonna della Vetrana and reverberate with light throughout Castellana, from the historic center to the districts. The festival perfectly expresses our lifestyle; if you find yourself in Castellana Grotte one evening, there will be nothing better than spending it in the countryside near a trullo, a burning ember, an olive tree and under the stars”.
"The Bit project," Mayor Tricase concluded, "doesn't end with the press conferences in Milan. A delegation of journalists will be invited to an educational event we'll organize with Carmen Mancarella to show them firsthand how beautiful our land is."
Castellana Grotte is in good company: the other five TOP destinations are Alberobello, Oria, Castro, Melendugno, and Nardò. The administrators of these beautiful towns, hailed by journalists and opinion leaders as the six must-see destinations for a vacation in Puglia, are delighted to team up and present themselves together at such a prestigious event as the BIT in Milan, offering the best of Puglia for a slow and timeless journey from the Itria Valley to Salento, a journey that speaks of the joy of living.
Grotte di Castellana Srl, having concluded the BIT, is already working on the new promotion for March 8th and on the many new features for next season that will be revealed soon.
Press Office Grotte di Castellana Srl
Serena Greco cell. +39 348 7649373
Social Media Marketing Consultant
Marica Buquicchio cell. +39 334 7649177
www.grottedicastellana.it
