Alta Murgia and Castel del Monte

Who should base themselves in the Alta Murgia, and who should look elsewhere?

The Alta Murgia is the base for Castel del Monte, the old town of Altamura and a masseria in the countryside, or for a country wedding: six of the ten host them. The Alta Murgia has ten stays on The Puglia Edit in five comuni, in estimated price bands 1 and 2. A pool-and-spa week or a beach is better found elsewhere: only two stays confirm a pool, one a spa, and the plateau is inland.

Two of the stays offer exclusive use, so ask whether an event is booked for your weekend before you reserve.

Matera, in the neighboring region of Basilicata, is where UNESCO describes the Sassi as built into the natural caves of the Murgia.

Which towns are in the Alta Murgia, and what is each known for?

Andria is the comune of Castel del Monte. UNESCO inscribed the castle in 1996, notes that Frederick II built it in the 13th century and singles out its perfect octagonal shape, and italia.it places it in the Alta Murgia National Park.

Masseria Terre di Traiano is a masseria and organic farm stay on an estate of more than 100 hectares, open from March to November. Biomasseria Lama di Luna is an 18th-century farmhouse with an infinity pool, and weddings there mean booking the whole farmhouse for two nights.

Altamura is known for bread that was the first bakery product in Europe to receive the DOP mark, for the Altamura Man, a Palaeolithic skeleton, and for a cathedral that mixes Pugliese Romanesque with Frederician Gothic. Hotel San Nicola occupies Palazzo Cagnazzi in the old town. I Luoghi di Pitti is a 16th-century masseria with ten rooms and one wedding a day, and Calderoni Martini Resort is a masseria with 12 suites and civil ceremonies authorized since 2016.

Gravina in Puglia has Principe Relais & Spa, a hotel in an early 20th-century palazzo in the old town, with a spa circuit of hammam, sauna and salt cave. Events and places across the plateau are on the Murgia page of Andiamo in Puglia (in Italian), and the same site has an entry on Castel del Monte, in Italian for the visit itself.

What kinds of stay are in the Alta Murgia, and what do they cost?

Seven are masserie, two are hotels and one is a palazzo, and four are four-star in the Regione Puglia register. Seven sit in estimated price band 1, under €250 a night for a double room in high season, and three in band 2, €250 to €450. How we select shows how the bands are estimated.

Biomasseria Lama di Luna and I Luoghi di Pitti are in the exclusive-use collection, and the one stay with a spa is in the spa retreats collection.

Choosing a base here

When to go

Masseria Terre di Traiano in Andria states that it is open from March to November, and it is the only one of the ten to give opening months. Biomasseria Lama di Luna's fireplace room for the colder months belongs to its restaurant and gives no opening dates. For the other eight, opening months are not confirmed, so ask the property before you plan any trip.

Getting there

Bari (BRI) is the airport for the Alta Murgia. Hotel San Nicola in Altamura names Bari airport as the most convenient and Altamura station as its railway reference, and says that staying in the old town lets you enjoy the city without a car. The estates are in the countryside, Masseria Torre di Nebbia inside the Alta Murgia National Park by its own account, so a car is the practical way to reach them and Castel del Monte. Each stay page shows its distance to both airports when its position is precise.

Towns and villages

Andria, Corato, Ruvo di Puglia, Canosa di Puglia, Minervino Murge, Spinazzola, Poggiorsini, Gravina in Puglia, Altamura, Santeramo in Colle, Gioia del Colle, Acquaviva delle Fonti, Cassano delle Murge, Toritto, Grumo Appula, Binetto, Sannicandro di Bari, Castel del Monte.