20 Attractions to Explore Near Alta Murgia National Park

The Altopiano delle Murge is a rectangular karst topographic plateau in southern Italy. Most of it is within Apulia and corresponds to the sub-region known as Murgia or Le Murge. The plateau is mainly located in the metropolitan city of Bari and the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, but extends into the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto to the south, and in Matera in Basilicata to the west. The name is believed to come from Latinmurex, which means "sharpened stone".

Castel del Monte, located in the municipality of Andria, rises on a rocky hill dominating the surrounding countryside of the Murgia region in southern Italy near the Adriatic Sea. A unique piece of medieval architecture, it was completed in 1240. Because of its relatively small size, it was once considered to be no more than a "hunting lodge", but scholars now believe it originally had a curtain wall and did serve as a citadel.

Built-in the Norman period, it is located on a peak about 15 km from Genzano di Lucania. The castle dominates a vast valley which was an important hinge between the territories of the Bradano dominated by the Byzantines and the northern territories of Basilicata dominated by the Lombards and Normans. Conceived by the Normans as a defensive system, it was the scene of a battle between Normans and Byzantines in which the latter were defeated.

The Ofanto, known in ancient times as Aufidus or Canna, is a 170-kilometer river in southern Italy that flows through the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia, into the Gulf of Manfredonia near Barletta. The river's source is on the Irpinia Plateau, at 715 meters above sea level, near Nusco and Torella dei Lombardi, in the province of Avellino. From there it runs southeast near Lioni before flowing into Lago di Conza, an artificial lake.

Palombaro Lungo is the largest underground water cistern in the city of Matera and is located under the pavement of Piazza Vittorio Veneto, where rainwater and spring waters from the hills of La Nera, Lapillo and Macamarda converge. Together with other underground cisterns it forms the famous underground Matera; the cistern is part of a water collection system that extends along the entire length of the stones of Matera and was necessary for the supply of its inhabitants.

Piazza Vittorio Veneto is one of the historic and arcaded squares of Turin, located in the eastern part of the city center, between the end of Via Po and the left bank of the Po river. In fact, the square ends with the historic Vittorio Emanuele I bridge, which connects the square itself, together with the two lateral riversides and the so-called Murazzi del Po, to the right bank of the river.

The Cathedral of the Madonna Della Bruna and Sant’Eustachio is the Cathedral of Matera, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the city, and to the Christian martyr Saint Eustace. The church is located on the highest point of the old city, between the two Sassi, the ancient districts of Matera. Formerly the seat of the Bishops, later Archbishops, of Matera, it is now the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Matera-Irsina.

Situated on a hill near the town centre, In Aragonese style, the castle, with a central male and two lower side towers, one and the other round, scalloped and equipped with loops, was built from 1501 by Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera. This 15th-century castle was left unfinished after the unpopular Count Tramontano, seemingly unaware that high taxes and his habit of bedding every new bride on her wedding night wasn't winning much favour, was killed by rebellious subjects.

The MUSMA ( Museum of contemporary sculpture Matera ) is an Italian museum located in Matera and dedicated to sculpture . It was inaugurated in 2006 and is located in Palazzo Pomarici , on the highest part of the Sassi district. It houses about 270 works by 200 different artists, including Kengiro Azuma , Duilio Cambellotti , Pietro Consagra , Pericle Fazzini , Luigi Guerricchio , Emilio Isgrò , Giacomo Manzù , José Ortega and Arnaldo Pomodoro.

The Sassi di Matera are two districts of Matera, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, made up of rock buildings and architecture dug into the rock of the Murgia of Matera and inhabited since prehistoric times. Together with the Civita district (built on the spur that separates the two Sassi), they constitute the historic center of the city of Matera. In 1993 they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum is an Italian state museum, located in the former convent of Santa Chiara in Matera. It was established on 9 February 1911 by the will of the senator and physician Domenico Ridola, who donated his important archaeological collections to the state and is, therefore, the oldest museum in Basilicata. It exhibits numerous archaeological remains found in excavations in the province of Matera and in the Murge.

The church of Santa Maria Assunta and San Canio bishop is a Catholic place of worship in Acerenza and the cathedral of the archdiocese of Acerenza. The current cathedral was built between the 11th and 13th centuries on the remains of a previous early Christian church, which in turn was built on what remained of an ancient Roman temple dedicated to Hercules Acheruntino. The construction works began thanks to the generosity of Roberto il Guiscardo in 1059 with the bishop Godano.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul, commonly known as the Church of San Pietro Caveoso, is a church in Matera, located in the southern ancient district of the city, Sasso Caveoso. The church was built in 1218 but undergone numerous changes and renovations over the centuries, and many of its original features were lost in time. In the 17th century, the church was completely renovated and the current facade was built.

The church of Santa Maria di Idris , also known as "Santa Maria de Idris" or "Madonna de Idris", is located in Matera , inside the Sassi . It is a rock church , that is, carved into the rock . It is located in the upper part of Monterrone, a large limestone cliff that rises in the middle of the Sasso Caveoso; it can be reached via a flight of stairs near the rock church of Santa Lucia alle Malve . The name Idris derives from the Greek Odigitria , the one who shows the way, or from the water that

Palazzo Lanfranchi is the greatest monument that represents the seventeenth - century period in Matera. In front of the door is the sculpture "The Drop" by Kengiro Azuma. The palace has undergone many renovations and has housed the Museo Della Grafica since 2007. The Museum houses the collection of the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe dell’Università di Pisa; initially curated in 1957 by Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti.

Saint Lucia alle Malve is a rock church situated at the Sasso Caveoso in Matera, adjacent to a monastery female Benedictine dating back to the ' eleventh century. Initially, the church was dedicated to Sant'Agata, to be later dedicated to Santa Lucia between 1217 and 1267. After the transfer in 1525 of the nuns first to the monastery of Santa Lucia Alla Civita and then to Santa Lucia al Piano, the church was used as a residence.

The Norman-Swabian castle of Bari, a symbolic building of the city of Bari, is an imposing fortress that stands on the edge of the old city. Since December 2014, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities has been managing it through the Puglia museum complex, which in December 2019 became the Regional Museum Directorate. The castle is surrounded by a moat on all sides, except the northern section, which was bordering the sea and can be accessed from the bridge and the gate on the southe

The Bari Cathedral is a religious building of Bari in the region of Apulia in Italy. Although less known than the Basilica of San-Nicola is the seat of the archbishopric of Bari-Bitonto. It is dedicated to Sabin Canosa, a bishop of the vi th century whose relics were made to the ix th century . The current building was built between the xii th and xiii th centuries, on the site of the ruins of the imperial Byzantine cathedral destroyed in 1156 by William I st of Sicily.

The Petruzzelli theater is the largest theater in Bari and the fourth largest in Italy , located in the heart of the Apulian capital. It is the most prestigious cultural building in Bari and Puglia. The building's Umbertino style, a typical Italian style of the late 19th century, fits harmoniously with the rest of the Murat district, the newer part of town. The Fondazione Lirico Sinfonica Petruzzelli oversees the rich artistic program of the theatre, which can seat up to 1,500 spectators.

The Basilica of St. Nicholas was built in the late 11th century to shelter and venerate the relics of St. Nicholas that reached Bari on May 9th, 1087 from the homonymous church in Myra, Lycia. The classical Romanesque-style basilica is located within the ancient fortified citadel, once occupied by the Catapan Court. It was originally constructed to house the relics of St Nicholas, which were stolen from Turkey in 1087 by local fishing folk. Today, it is an important place of pilgrimage for both