Specchia
Guided routes beneath Specchia enter the underground olive presses used from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century.
Palazzo Risolo in Specchia, Apulia. Lupiae, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped for layout.
Why it is worth the drive
Beneath Specchia's historic centre, guided visits follow a largely underground route through olive presses built between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. The below-ground spaces kept the pressing work inside the town's rock and building fabric.
Above ground, the sixteenth-century Risolo Castle faces Piazza del Popolo. The former monastery of the Black Franciscans contains the chapel of Santa Caterina and a crypt supported by thirty-six small columns.
Getting there
Brindisi (BDS) is about 110 kilometres by road. The Miggiano-Montesano-Specchia rail stop is outside the built-up area, so check the current local connection before relying on it.
The honest part
The underground presses are part of a guided itinerary rather than a freely open complex. Contact the local visitor office or Pro Loco for the current departure times before travelling.
SourcesIstat · Comune di Specchia · Comune di Specchia, historical site · Touring Club Italiano4
- Istat · 1 January 2026 (provisional)
Evidence note. Italy, Sourced uses the municipality-level total in Istat's provisional 2026 population dataset.
- Comune di Specchia · valid from 1 January 2023
Evidence note. The municipality identifies the fortified building in Piazza del Popolo and dates it to the sixteenth century.
- Comune di Specchia, historical site · accessed 13 September 2026
Evidence note. The former municipal site states that the underground presses are accessible through guided visits organised locally.
- Touring Club Italiano · accessed 13 September 2026
Evidence note. The Touring Club documents the fifteenth-to-nineteenth-century press route, Risolo Castle and the thirty-six-column crypt.