Le Porte della Badessa

A widespread museum among the alleys of Castellana Grotte

In the heart of the historic center of Castellana Grotte, in the province of Bari, the Le Porte della Badessa initiative has brought to life a true open-air art gallery. Antique wooden and iron doors, once forgotten along the alleys of the old town, have been transformed into canvases by painters from Puglia: today, more than sixty works accompany visitors on a journey that weaves together art, memory, and popular tradition, winding around the Mother Church and the Romanesque church of San Leone Magno, between via Ottavio da Castellana, via Macerasa, via Sant'Onofrio, and the evocative "Stradina della Badessa".

The history of the mitred Abbesses

The common thread of the project is a story unique in the history of Puglia. From 1266 to 1810, the Benedictine Abbesses of the San Benedetto monastery in Conversano exercised temporal and spiritual power over Castellana equal to that of a bishop, earning them the right to wear the mitre. A female-led government that lasted nearly six centuries, remembered in chronicles as the "Monstrum Apuliae", the prodigy of Puglia. Each painted door tells a fragment of this history made of cultured and powerful women, legends, and archival documents, returning to the community a historical heritage that is often little known.

A Pro Loco project that has grown over time

Born in 2018 from an idea of the "don Nicola Pellegrino" Pro Loco, with the support of the Municipality of Castellana Grotte, the project has been enriched edition after edition: new doors, new artists, and the "Frammenti" (Fragments), small paintings on wooden tablets dedicated to the theme of the Abbesses. Each year, a technical-artistic committee selects the works based on their thematic consistency, originality, and artistic quality, ensuring the constant growth of the collection.

More than just art: the festival that kicks off the summer

The annual "editions" are much more than just an inauguration: they are the event that launches Piazze d'Estate, the summer calendar of Castellana Grotte. For two days, the historic center comes alive with theatrical incursions, musical and dance performances, creative workshops for children, show cooking sessions dedicated to ancient monastic recipes, guided tours of the monasteries, and stalls displaying typical products linked to the nuns' tradition: beers, jams, honey, preserves, and the famous "Vino Badessa".

Useful information

The open-air gallery can be visited for free at any time of the year, simply by strolling through the alleys of the village. The special days of the annual inauguration offer an additional widespread program of cultural events. Castellana Grotte, famous throughout Puglia for its extraordinary Grotte di Castellana, thus adds an artistic and identity-focused itinerary to its natural heritage that is well worth a visit.