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TheAltopiano delle Murge (Italian for 'plateau of the Murge') is akarst topographicplateau of rectangular shape in southern Italy. Most of it lies withinPuglia and corresponds with the sub-region known as Murgia or Le Murge. The plateau lies mainly in theMetropolitan City of Bari and theprovince of Barletta-Andria-Trani, but extends into theprovinces ofBrindisi andTaranto to the south, and intoMatera inBasilicata to the west. The name is believed to originate from theLatin:murex, meaning 'sharp stone'.
The Murge plateau covers a surface of some 4,000 km², bordered by theOfanto river and theTavoliere delle Puglie to the north, theAdriatic Sea to the northeast, and by the Messapic depression, which separates it from theSalento peninsula, to the south. It is usually divided intoAlta Murgia (High Murgia), the highest area, with poorer vegetation, andBassa Murgia (Lower Murgia), with more fertile land, extensively planted witholive-trees for the production of olives.
The plateau is geologically homogeneous to a great extent, and lies mostly on thelimestone formations of Calcare di Ban and Calcare di Altamura, withterra rossa deposits present in the sequence.[1] The rocks are mostlyCretacic limestone, so that karst landscapes prevail in the area, with doline fields, some large dolines,sinkholes, and caves. The largest dolines are nearAltamura,Gravina, andMolfetta. The large karstic doline of Molfetta is known locally as the 'Pulo' and lies south-west of the town, near the Adriatic coast, taking the form of an oval-shaped depression with a depth of some thirty metres.[2] NearCastellana Grotte are theCastellana Caves, the most important in the Puglia region. The highest point of the plateau is called Monte Caccia, at 679 m.
The climate is cold in winter, with average temperatures in the 1-6 °C range. In summer, they rise up to 30 °C. Rain, unlike in the aridSalento nearby, has an annual average of ca. 950 mm.
Historically, the Murge have been the seat oftranshumance practice in animal husbandry, since at least the first millennium BC,[3] with cattle being moved to Abruzzo in summer, and southwards during winter.
Until the 19th century, agriculture was characterized by largelatifundia, owned by a few landowners, and the relative lack of water, forming part of a region sometimes called "the feudal South".[4]Present-day economic activities includemarble quarries, and the production of olives, wine, almonds, cherries, and mulberries. The animals grazed include sheep, goats, domestic pigs, and cattle.[citation needed]
A local breed of horse, known asMurgese, has been bred here since the Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the breed was ridden by Italian knights. In later centuries, the Murgese almost died out, but was revived in the 1920s.[5]
40°58′34″N16°24′22″E / 40.97611°N 16.40611°E /40.97611; 16.40611
