In short: four days from Taranto to discover the gravine, the canyons that water has carved into the limestone of Puglia. Grottaglie and its ceramics, the rock-cut churches of Massafra, the dinosaur quarry and the Pulo of Altamura, Gravina in Puglia and the cave village of Petrùscio.
Karst is the natural process that has shaped the land of Puglia in a way found nowhere else: water slowly dissolves the limestone and leaves behind forms both underground and on the surface, a real geological and travel treasure for the region. The most spectacular are the gravine, deep canyons carved by water over thousands of years and typical of this region. This four-day itinerary explores them, between history and nature.
Day 1: Taranto
The journey begins at your hotel in Taranto, with a guided tour of a city known for its history and archaeology. The first stop is the National Archaeological Museum, whose finds tell the thousands of years of the region’s past. Next comes the Romanesque cathedral, an architectural masterpiece, and a panoramic drive past the famous swing bridge and the elegant seafront. After lunch in a traditional restaurant, the afternoon is free to explore the city further. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Grottaglie and Massafra
After breakfast, set off for Grottaglie, a town renowned for its ceramics and for its spectacular setting among the ravines. The visit takes in the old town and the craft workshops, to discover the local art of pottery. After lunch, the afternoon is given over to Massafra, known for its so-called Basilian crypts, churches cut into the tufa walls along the ravine. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Altamura and Gravina in Puglia
The third day starts in the old town of Altamura. Here you visit one of the most important sites in the region, the Cava dei Dinosauri, a quarry whose dinosaur tracks are more than 70 million years old, and then the Pulo, a round sinkhole in the limestone that holds many prehistoric caves.
Altamura’s cathedral, built at the wish of the Emperor Frederick II, is another stop not to be missed. There is also a visit to an old bakery oven to learn how the famous bread of Altamura is made. After lunch, the route moves on to Gravina in Puglia to see the old town, the cathedral and the cave churches. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Mottola and the end of the tour
On the last day you head to Mottola to explore the cave village of Petrùscio, a cluster of crypts dating from the ninth to the thirteenth century, set in wild vegetation along the ravine. After lunch in a traditional restaurant, the afternoon is free to relax or wander a little more. Finally you return to Taranto, where this tour of Puglia’s karst country comes to an end.
This tour is one of our multi-day itineraries in Puglia. The Tracing the Greeks itinerary also starts from Taranto and passes through Grottaglie, Massafra and Mottola, but adds Metaponto and the Manduria area.
