Murgia

Castel del Monte Andria in the territory of

symbols on the trulli, AlberobelloLa Murgia (or Murge) is a very large sub-region of Puglia, corresponding to a square-shaped karst plateau located in central Puglia.

It is included for most of the province of Bari and in that of Barletta-Andria-Trani of the new institution and it extends to the west right into the province of Matera, in Basilicata, also extends to the south in the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi.

[Edit] EtimologiaIl name derives from the Latin word "murex", which means rock pointed (like the shell of the shell or murex Murex). The name "Murgia" refers to an item Italic Oscan origin which is probably borrowed from the pre-Indo languages ​​spoken in southern Italy before migrating Oscan, meaning stone. Still survives in its original meaning in the northern Calabrian dialects with the same meaning [1].

[Edit] GeografiaSi extends about 4000 km ² and is located between the course Ofanto located to the north, and the so-called "threshold messapica" (a depression that corresponds to the alignment Guaceto Tower - Francavilla Fontana - San Pietro in Bevagna and that the separates from the Salento peninsula) located in the south. His physical limitations are: a Southwest Bradanica depression (or murgiana), partially falling within the neighboring region of Basilicata, in the North-East Adriatic Sea to the north-west river valley and the plains of Ofanto Tavoliere of Foggia; south-east the plain of Brindisi. It is divided through the Sella di Gioia del Colle (a large depression that affects the contour lines around 350 m), in Alta Murgia Northwest, which represents the top part of the plateau, mainly covered by steppe and meadow and is characterized by extensive culture, and Murgia Lower South East, where the soil is fertile and covered mainly by olive groves.

Traditionally, Murge are also divided into various sub-regions such as the Murgia coastline, the Murgia dei Trulli, Murge Tarantine, Murge of Gravina, the Valle d'Itria, the Murgia of Matera.

The Murge

Murgia South orientaleLe Murge are represented by a hilly plateau, with a predominance of mid-hill, arranged in parallel to the line shelves of Adriatic coast, extended from north-west to south-east, reaching the north-west the highest odds : Desperate Tower (686 m), Monte Hunting (680 m), Serraficaia (673 m) are located in the municipality of Monte Scorzone while Spinazzola (668 m) is located in the Municipality of Minervino Murge. The measurements are made of limestone rock formations of the Cretaceous. There are visible signs of karst, underground as much surface as sinkholes, the largest of which are locally called "Puli" (as those of Molfetta, Gravina and Altamura) or "Pulicchio" if smaller, sinkholes, blades and caves including the famous Grotte di Castellana.

Missing in the region any watercourse surface of a permanent nature, except for the source of the Royal Canal, while there is a groundwater flow, with a deep aquifer and small superficial layers long exploited by many wells for irrigation purposes, " batteries "(tanks) and Norie.

[Edit] Gravine

Gravina di Villa Park CastelliIl natural Gravine is a regional nature reserve established in Puglia in 2005 [2] to protect the landscape and wildlife. It covers the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto, in southern Murge.

[Edit] Valle d'Itria

District Trulli Villa CastelliLa Itria Valley is a central piece of land of Puglia, between the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. Its territory coincides with the southern part of the Murge plateau. The main features of the downstream of the trulli, typical and unique stone houses with cone-shaped.

[Edit] Murge TarantineLe Murge Tarantino a complex hilly central part of the Province of Taranto and the Salento ends at the border between the provinces of Lecce and Taranto. They are the last offshoots of the South. Are not very high, except for Monte Fellone highest mountain, which exceeds 400 m and on which stands the village of the same name and the Mirror of Taranto, belonging to the town of Martina Franca. The mountain marks the border precisely between the towns of Martina Franca and Grottaglie near Taranto and Villa Castelli in the province of Brindisi.

[Edit] Materanala Murgia Murgia of Matera in Basilicata is situated at the eastern end, near the border with Puglia. In its territory there is the Gravina di Matera, limestone deep groove on the bottom of which flows the river of the same name which, after skirting the Sassi of Matera and touched the village of Montescaglioso Bradano flows into the river after about twenty kilometers. It is understood throughout the Murgia Matera, contiguous to the Pugliese, a limestone plateau covered with the typical Mediterranean vegetation. Inhabited since prehistoric times, it still stabling Paleolithic, such as the bat cave, and the Neolithic, such as the many entrenched villages. One of the most important features of the area, established as Murgia Park Matera [3], is the presence of about 150 churches scattered along the rocky canyons and Murgia. In late medieval times is recorded in the whole area the presence of Benedictine monastic communities is Byzantine.

[Edit] SalentineIl Salento Murge and in particular the Province of Lecce has no mountains, small hills but that in some cases exceeded, albeit slightly, the two hundred meters above sea level. They are known as greenhouse or Murge and Salento, geographically, representing the southern Murge. The Salento Murge are separate from the Taranto and Brindisi, from the Valle d'Itria, and the Terra di Bari from the large table of Lecce, a vast plain that begins just south of Taranto and Brindisi.

[Edit] Climate

Matera and its Gravina

Bell tower of the Collegiate Locorotondo

Trulli AlberobelloLe to snow-capped in winter temperatures average readings of 1-6 ° C in January and there are minimal adverse snow. In summer, average temperatures are around 30 ° C. Rainfall, on the contrary of the dry Salento, are abundant.

The table below shows the average values ​​that are recorded.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Maximum average temperature (° C) 11.8 12.8 14.9 18.3 23.1 27.5 30.4 30.5 26.5 21.4 16.8 13.4 20.6

Average minimum temperature (° C) 4.6 4.9 6.5 8.7 12.5 16.4 19.0 19.2 16.5 12.8 9.0 6.2 11.4

Rainfall (mm) 59 58 54 36 33 23 22 23 37 73 73 63 554

Average humidity (%) 77.8 76.6 75.4 72.9 70.2 65.7 61.8 63.6 70.0 76.0 78.9 78.9 72.3

[Edit] Economy

Ostuni center

horse MurgesePer centuries, the economy Murgia was based on sheep farming and agriculture: an important phenomenon was the transhumance, with the displacement of entire flocks of sheep around the Murge and the Abruzzo region in summer, and to the milder climate of southern during the winter, along ancient lines of communication such sheep tracks. Until the nineteenth century this was the land ownership is characterized by large expanses of land owned by rich families who practiced extensive agriculture, partly due to the limited availability of water. Still being cultivated olive groves, vineyards and almond orchards, as well as fruit trees and, in lesser extent, vegetables. Today the economy of Murgia is also characterized by intense mining of marble in the north, and the presence of the industrial district of upholstered furniture, located between the communes of Altamura, Gravina in Puglia, Santeramo in Colle and the nearby city of Matera.

Newly established (2004) is the National Park of Alta Murgia whose boundaries fall within the territories of the following municipalities: Altamura, Andria, Bito, Cassano Murge, Corato, Gravina in Puglia (Park headquarters), Lump Appula, Minervino Murge , Poggiorsini, Ruvo di Puglia, Santeramo in Colle Spinazzola, Toritto. In Basilicata and a few kilometers away from the border of Puglia, is located in the municipalities of Montescaglioso and Matera (province of Matera), the Natural Archaeological Park of the Rock Churches of Matera, also called simply Parco della Murgia of Matera.

It is native to this geographical region an important bloodstock Italian: the horse murgese.

Castello Ducale in Ceglie

old olive tree [edit] Agriculture and allevamentoPer the agricultural sector:

Olive (including organic), with the production of olive oil PDO

organic cultivation of the vine

cultivation of various fruit trees (almond, cherry, and mulberry).

In traditional breeding horses murgese, already present in the fifteenth century, is added to the farms raise sheep, goats, pigs and cattle.

[Edit] Crafts and craft sector industriaNel perpetuated the traditional construction of drywall and trulli.

For the industrial sector:

mills and wineries with bottling plants.

companies producing building materials.

woodwork.

herbal medicine.

tailoring industry.

[Edit] ServiziNel tertiary sector are:

tax assistance centers.

banks.

insurance agencies.

[Edit] Tourism and ricettivitàRistoranti.

Farm.

Hotel

B & B