The Pulo of Altamura

In April, I was in Bari for work. Taking advantage of the weekend, I decided to spend a day trekking. Usually, when I'm in Bari during summer, I spend weekends at the beach 😄.

Altamura isn't far from Bari. It takes about an hour by car. From the city, you just take SS96 towards Altamura. Follow signs for the Alta Murgia National Park and the Pulo. The road is smooth and goes through a more barren, typical Murgia landscape. Soon, you leave city traffic for the quiet countryside. That's how I reached the Pulo easily.

The Pulo is a huge natural cavity that suddenly appears in the flat Alta Murgia landscape. It's amazing how you walk among fields and limestone, then suddenly the ground seems to drop away. It formed from the collapse of underground spaces carved by water over thousands of years. Today, it's about half a kilometer wide and over 70 meters deep. The feeling of emptiness and silence hits you when you're there.

Around here, the typical Murgia vegetation grows. It's low and tough. The area below feels different from the surrounding countryside. There are cavities and caves that really impress, even someone like me who's not a geology expert.

This place is among the "quiet zones," and that makes sense here. No artificial noises, just wind and birds. The paths let you safely look over the edge. I must say, it feels almost unreal. For me, it was more relaxing than a massage session. That silence and view were truly refreshing.

Seeing it live is even more spectacular than I imagined. Thinking about a cavity collapsing under my feet to form this huge crater is quite something. It's a place to walk calmly, relax, and stay silent. While I was there, I was lucky to see a bird of prey hunting. Usually, I only see that in documentaries.

There are picnic tables to stop for a bit. But I think a small kiosk with panels or flyers about local fauna and flora would be useful. This would really enhance the place, which I believe is truly valuable.