Holiday apartment in Gravina in Puglia – rocky landscapes, history and nature

Gravina in Puglia between the old town and the Murgia

Gravina in Puglia lies in a karst landscape on the border between Alta Murgia and Murgia Materana. Wheat fields, olive groves, vineyards, the Murgia and the Bosco Difesa Grande are part of its landscape. In the historic centre, paved lanes, stone houses and impressive squares shape the town. If you choose a holiday apartment in Gravina in Puglia, you can plan your days around your preferred mix of the old town, rocky landscapes and nature.

Holiday apartment in Gravina in Puglia: history carved in stone

The Ponte dell’Acquedotto is an arched bridge over the Torrente Gravina, 37 metres high, 90 metres long and 5.5 metres wide; it connects the two banks. Around the middle of the 18th century, it was reconstructed by the Orsini family and converted into an aqueduct to carry water from the Sant’Angelo and San Giacomo springs. The rock church of San Michele delle Grotte was Gravina’s first cathedral and was carved entirely out of a single block of tuff between the 8th and 10th centuries. The Castello Svevo was built at the behest of Frederick II.

The Museo Ettore Pomarici Santomasi is housed in the 17th-century palace of the same name in the heart of the historic centre. Its permanent exhibition, “Aristocrazia e Mito”, displays finds from the archaeological areas of Gravina, particularly Botromagno, dating from the 7th to the 4th century BC. The foundation also includes a numismatic collection of 1,608 coins from the Greek, Roman Republican, Roman Imperial, Byzantine, medieval and modern periods. The Complesso delle Sette Camere is a dwelling carved entirely into the rock in the early Middle Ages, with seven interconnected rooms on three levels. The Parco Archeologico di Botromagno contains painted and plastered tombs from the 5th century BC; the remains of a villa from the 2nd to the 1st century BC have also been preserved there.

Walking trails and landscapes for different kinds of days

When you cross the Ponte dell’Acquedotto, you travel from the town located on the edge of the Gravina into the rocky landscape on the opposite side, with trails in the valley, traces of historic water infrastructure and views of the Alta Murgia. A walk along the “sentiero dell’Annunziata e dello staturo” begins at the “San Nicola della Macchia” visitor centre near the Bosco “Difesa Grande” in the municipality of Gravina in Puglia. The trail follows the Torrente dell’Annunziata, through wetland vegetation and onwards to the wooded Lama del Pisciolo. A circular hike around the Pulicchio di Gravina passes through a coniferous forest, across a cultivated plain and past an old Jazzo.

For planning your days, you can therefore choose between an intensive historical experience, open landscapes and longer stretches through nature. The tours of the Gravina Sotterranea start at Via Meucci 10 in the historic centre; they take place regularly at weekends and during the week only by reservation. Another local detail is the Cola-Cola pipe, recognised in the municipal De.C.O. of Gravina in Puglia as a typical artistic and agropastoral product of the area. The annual Fiera regionale di San Giorgio dates back to 1294 and renews both trade and the ritual of transhumance.

More destinations for planning your trip

If you would like to note down further destination ideas for your holiday planning alongside Gravina in Puglia, also discover Mariotto, Santo Spirito, Polignano A Mare, Conversano, Mola Di Bari, Cozzana, Andria and Minervino Murge.

For the overarching travel overview: Bari.