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Grottaglie, the city of many caves,is located 22 km from Taranto. Situated on a hill in the Ionian area, this ancient city sits on a ledge of a Murge terrace that slopes to the Mar Piccolo. At present Grottaglie has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants who occupy an area of around 100 sq. km. The numerous caves open around the inhabited area and which, give it its name, sheltered the first inhabitants around 960 AD, who had to leave their farms to escape the Saracen invasions. The founding of the urban centre dates back to 1297. The old town  winds around with its alleys and lanes encircling the Bishops’ Castle, built by the bishops of Taranto at the beginning of the 14th century; at its centre stands a very high tower crowned by twenty merlons.