24 km east of Taranto. When invaded by the Goths in the 5thC AD the inhabitants scurried into the karst caves and ravines round about and did not emerge for five centuries. Then they built a town which in due course their feudal masters walled and castled. Agriculture and the making of strong wines built up Grottaglie’s economy and a ceramics industry made it famous. Those Ali Baba oil-jars you see set out to dry on the flat roofs are exported nationwide. Although the potters work in an artisan tradition they have aroused artistic interest both in Italy and abroad. Visitors are always welcomed to the workshops, the kilns and the roof-tops.