Cycling through the Alta Murgia national park is an experience not to be missed, blending nature, history, culture and mouth-watering food and wine. We put the cycling route to the test.
Thanks to cycle tourism, the Alta Murgia reveals another side of Puglia, a region that in recent years has attracted ever-growing interest from a tourism perspective. Beyond the coastline, the interior of the region also manages to surprise with its landscapes, points of interest, history and culture, especially if you choose to travel by bicycle; not to mention the area's precious food and wine heritage.
Two wheels and the Alta Murgia national park are a natural match: the park is working to establish itself as a cycling destination. This is in part thanks to the route of the Ciclovia dell'acquedotto pugliese, one of the cycling routes funded by the Ministry of Transport for further development. This ambition is also attracting the interest of those who want to promote cycle tourism, as Vivi l'Italia aims to do in the Alta Murgia.
It was in this protected area that we were able to reach and admire Castel del Monte, after a route combining gravel tracks, drove roads and country lanes that make you forget they are open to cars, accessible by cycling a stretch of the Matera–Castel del Monte cycling route. From the famous octagonal castle, there is a panoramic view over the entire valley, stretching to the most distant hills. Apart from a final short climb, the routes are gentle and peaceful, passing through wooded pastures of wild pear and almond trees, whose fruits are not edible. Among the most common plants in the area are giant fennel and asphodel. Ferula communis, a relative of wild fennel, is widespread in grazing areas because it is toxic to sheep (as it is to humans), and the Romans used its dried wood as a container for parchment scrolls.
From below Castel del Monte it is also possible to follow the cycling route that leads to San Magno and ride through an undulating course suited to mountain bikes, full of surprises that enchant thanks to the explanations of an expert local guide. Such as the encounter with some trulli, ancient structures that housed farmers and shepherds far from their homes while grazing their flocks. Trulli with a domed roof were used as dwellings, those with a conical roof were designed to allow the production of cheese from milk, while others served as straw stores, recognisable by their more elongated shape. Continuing to pedal, you pass through agricultural areas with the characteristic dry-stone walls. On this stretch, the route crosses the Ciclovia dell'Acquedotto pugliese, thus revealing a cycle tourism potential far broader than that of the immediate area.
There is plenty of room for local history and archaeology too, thanks to the explanations of our guide, with visits to an ancient masseria, the Chiesetta Neviera and the necropolis of San Magno. The masseria was founded in 1600, serving as a defence against brigands and as a water-collection point. Electricity only reached this structure in 1975.
The Chiesetta Neviera is a small building that is no longer in use, whose upper section genuinely served as a place of worship, while its underground portion — six to eight metres deep — was dedicated to storing blocks of ice prepared during the cold season, to maintain a reserve of water when it was scarcer.
The Murge were once far more densely populated, which is why several necropoles came into being. The one at San Magno stretches for two kilometres: the narrow spaces reveal how the dead were buried in the foetal position, a symbol of rebirth.
Not far from these sites lies the Pulo di Altamura. This is a doline, a karst phenomenon formed by two underground rivers that carved out a cave which subsequently collapsed inwards. From above, one can see a depression ninety metres deep and five hundred metres wide. In the collapsed caves, which are not easily accessible, Neolithic artefacts have been found alongside the remains of a Neanderthal man who was injured by a fall and died after walking inside the cave. At the Museo dell'Uomo di Altamura it is possible to view artefacts and watch a 3D film of the caves, right up to observing the remains of the Neanderthal man, whose bones are now embedded in the cave's limestone formations.
The Alta Murgia has revealed many facets and has even more to offer, given that the surrounding area includes the towns of Altamura and Ruvo di Puglia, with Bari just a few dozen kilometres away.
A final note must be reserved for the food. There are establishments where you can eat well, dairies where you can buy cheeses and other fresh produce, bakeries where you can purchase typical local products such as bread, taralli and focaccia, and restaurants eager to rediscover the gastronomic tradition of the Alta Murgia's wild ingredients, reinterpreted with a modern spirit.