La Murgia is also called thesouthern ireland for its landscapes that are very reminiscent of the green island.
It is a little-known area, still little exploited from a tourist point of view, but it is worth visiting. with his great grasslands and the infinite expanses, steppes and pastures that occupy almost 4 thousand square kilometers. It is a southern Italy that you do not expect.
However, the fact that it is not included in the classic tourist circuits has preserved it, at least in part, turning it into an area of our country still intact and uncontaminated.
An area between Puglia center and the Basilicata eastern, between Bari and Matera, so to speak, which for some years has been part of the Alta Murgia National Park.
There are those who try to create new itineraries, based on a type of slow tourism. Via Peuceta passes through here, part of the Materano Way, a newly created itinerary designed by the In Itinere association, to travel on foot through historical, cultural and naturalistic places that lead to the city of Sassi.
An area of shepherds and farmers, unaccustomed to meeting tourists who today are beginning to appreciate the tranquility and silence, nature and local and genuine experiences. come to attend migration, travel the old "sheep paths", savor the gastronomic specialties, breathe the air of times gone by.
But in this area there are typical phenomena of Friulian karst: sinkholes, caves, among them the famous Castellana caves, and gravines, karst erosions, with steep and deep walls. Apart from the source of the Royal Canal, there is no surface water course in Murgia, while there is a circulation of underground water that has always allowed agricultural practice.
However, there is no shortage of architectural beauties of great value: first of all the Castel del Monte, whose original octagonal plan has given rise to several legends, including that of the alleged hiding place of the treasure of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In Gravina there is a splendid Romanesque cathedral. And many other interesting monuments throughout the area.
Little by little, hospitality and bed and breakfast structures are being created, but it is also possible to stay in farms and private homes, eat with the families who welcome visitors and feel at home.
Due to the southern climate, you can come here all year round because the temperature They are never very rigid. Those looking for untouched natural environments, without having to travel to Ireland, can come directly here.
