STAGE 01: Bari to Bitetto

Departure: Bari
Arrival: Bitetto
Distance: 16.8 km
Height difference: +255 m/ – 0 m

The Via Peuceta begins at the Basilica of St. Nicholas of Bari, the heart of the Apulian pilgrimage. Built between 1087 – the year of the translation of the relics of the saint of Myra – and 1197, it became in little more than a century one of the most important sanctuaries of Christianity, an essential STAGE between Rome and Jerusalem.

From the square in front of the Basilica, one crosses the Angevin arch and finds oneself immersed in the “anthill drunk with vitality,” as Italo Calvino describes it: old Bari, a tangle of alleys where life flows fast and pulsating, amid voices, gestures and faces that tell of the meeting of cultures from East and West. Past the Cathedral of San Sabino and the Norman-Swabian Castle, the walk continues along the waterfront bike path to the Adriatic Bridge, from which there is an amazing view of the entire city.

Leaving the industrial zone, in a few kilometers you reach the ancient medieval road that once joined Bari to Bitetto. Here the Middle Ages return with two precious treasures: the fortified farmhouse of Balsignano and the striking church of San Felice. The entrance to Bitetto is among majestic centuries-old olive trees, passing under Porta Barese, the only medieval gate still standing.

Route note:
Those who prefer to avoid the first 8 km of suburbs can start directly from Modugno, which can be reached by train. The Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) trains stop in the heart of the town, where you can have breakfast and visit the church of Santa Maria Assunta (see schedules here: FAL). Alternatively, a Trenitalia train connects Bari to Modugno (schedules on Trenitalia), but the station is outside the town.

STAGE 02: Bitetto to Cassano delle Murge

Departure: Bitetto
Arrival: Cassano delle Murge
Distance: 25.1 km
Height difference: +369 m/ – 0 m

The STAGE kicks off from the splendid Romanesque cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, built in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, inspired by the famous Basilica of St. Nicholas of Bari. After about a kilometer, the path enters the dense and luminous forest of olive trees that envelops the Land of Bari: a silver-green sea, a symbol of Puglia and its oldest soul. These millennia-old trees, true living monuments of Mediterranean civilization, tell a story of patience and deep roots, and continue to this day to represent an essential resource for the life and economy of the area.

Olive groves, almond orchards and vineyards draw the countryside in regular geometries, punctuated by historic farms, trulli and dry stone walls that testify to the agricultural vocation and peasant wisdom of these lands. This is the landscape that accompanies the traveler for some 20 kilometers, as the plain slowly gives way to the first ascents of the Murgia plateau, whose rocky escarpment looms ever sharper on the horizon.

The STAGE ends in the historic center of Cassano delle Murge, but before entering the town it is worth stopping at the Shrine of Santa Maria degli Angeli, a quiet and welcoming place that invites pause and contemplation.

STAGE 03: Cassano delle Murge to Santeramo

Departure: Cassano delle Murge
Arrival: Santeramo
Distance: 22.5 km
Height difference: +295 m/ – 153 m

The STAGE starts from the historic center of Cassano delle Murge and winds largely within the striking Mesola Forest, an area of great naturalistic value. Here the path plunges into a rich and varied environment, where majestic specimens of downy oak, strawberry tree, holm oak and dense Aleppo pine forests alternate, accompanied by the intense scents of the Mediterranean scrub: mastic tree, broom, cistus, strawberry tree, myrtle, hawthorn and thorny pronghorn.

The route crosses all the typical scenarios of the Murgia landscape: rocky ridges, karst cavities, sinkholes, blades, wheat fields and dry pastures, in a continuous dialogue between nature and history. In these places, in fact, the hand of man has shaped stone and earth for centuries, leaving a mark that coexists harmoniously with the slow work of nature.

Arrival in Santeramo in Colle is through the Pineta Galietti, which takes its name from the ancient 18th-century farmhouse that stands within it, witness to a rural landscape that combines tradition, silence and beauty.

STAGE 04: Santeramo to Altamura

Departure: Santeramo
Arrival: Altamura
Distance: 22.9 km
Height difference: +365 m/ – 371 m

The STAGE starts from the historic center of Santeramo in Colle and, crossing a series of rural districts, gradually enters the heart of theAlta Murgia, a unique territory: vast, silent and almost suspended in time. Here stretches one of the most important steppe areas in Italy, habitat of numerous endemic species of flora and one of the richest populations of steppe birdlife.

Expanses of grasses, dominated by stypa, known as “fairy flax,” sway in the wind, creating silvery reflections that give the landscape an almost lunar appearance. Lichens, mosses and wild orchids hide among the blades of grass, embellishing this essential and powerful scenery.

About 6 km from Santeramo is the cave complex of Grotta Sant’Angelo (currently under restoration), a very ancient place of worship dedicated to St. Michael, among the most important in ancient Apulia, second only to the famous sanctuary of Gargano.

After a stretch along the bed of a small ravine, the route climbs up the plateau to the rocky site of Fornello, near which we walk along the ancient medieval carriageway that once connected the area’s farmhouses. From here the landscape opens up and slopes gently toward the city of Altamura, the final destination of the STAGE, with its mighty walls and the unmistakable profile of the Frederician cathedral.

STAGE 05: Altamura to Gravina in Puglia

Departure: Altamura
Arrival: Gravina in Puglia
Distance: 20 km
Height difference: +135 m/ – 257 m

The STAGE begins in front of the majestic Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, built in 1232 at the behest of Frederick II of Swabia according to Apulian Romanesque canons. Over the centuries, the building has undergone transformations and extensions, but it preserves intact the original charm desired by the emperor.

The path then traverses Altamura’s enchanting historic center, a labyrinth of alleys and small courtyards called claustri, where time seems to run slower. Amidst the warm stones of the houses and the voices of the stores, the scent of Altamura bread, baked in stone ovens as in the Middle Ages, constantly wafts through the air: a symbol of authenticity and connection to the land, made with Alta Murgia durum wheat semolina.

Leaving the city, the landscape opens up between the Murgia and the Fossa Bradanica, in a succession of fields of wheat, chickpea, lupine and oats, which draw the horizon in golden and ochre tones. It continues to Gravina in Puglia, reached through a small patch of forest and a charming paved road that gently accompanies you to the gates of the rock city.

STAGE 06: Gravina in Puglia to Picciano

Departure: Gravina in Puglia
Arrival: Picciano
Distance: 29.9 km
Height difference: +481 m/ – 391 m

The STAGE kicks off from the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, built by the Normans in 1095 overhanging the ravine, in a spectacular position overlooking the entire city. Leaving the historic center behind, we cross the imposing 18th-century stone aqueduct bridge, which scenically joins the two banks of the deep ravine and leads to the plateau of Madonna della Stella, from which there is a splendid view of Gravina in Puglia and its fascinating rock habitat.

A narrow cobbled road climbs up to the hill of Botromagno, site of the first human settlement in the area, dating back to the Neolithic period. Here later arose Sidion, one of the most important cities of Peucezia, of which numerous archaeological remains still remain, unfortunately in a state of neglect.

The descent from the hill gives one of the most striking views of theAlta Murgia, with the white stone disappearing among the undulations of the landscape. After a few kilometers, a new gentle climb leads to the majestic Bosco Difesa Grande, one of the largest forest complexes in Puglia. The path traverses the forest entirely for about 10 kilometers, through thickets, clearings and paths immersed in silence, until it flows into the Fossa Bradanica, a landscape of wide cultivated hills and clay soils that are tinged with deep yellow in spring.

From here begins thefinal climb to the hill of Picciano, where the striking Benedictine Sanctuary stands, a spiritual destination and the natural conclusion of the STAGE.

Technical note:

This is a long but splendid STAGE, offering very different views and environments. Those who find it too strenuous can divide it up flexibly thanks to the various accommodations and transfer services available.

Options to break up the STAGE or make it easier:

1. Split the walk into 8 STAGEs instead of 7, staying overnight at Masseria Santa Maria (at the end of Bosco Difesa Grande, about 20 km).

   • At km 17 the path forks: right to the Picciano Sanctuary, left to Masseria Santa Maria.

   • The junction is marked and the GPX track is downloadable.

   • The following day you can continue to the Sanctuary (12 km) or to Masseria La Fiorita / B&B Il Borghetto (22 km), thus shortening the next STAGE to Matera.

2. Stay two nights in Gravina, asking the facilities(La Tana delle Volpe, B&B Duca Orsini) for a round-trip transfer to the Terra Rossa Parking (km 14) inside the Forest.

3. Stay two nights in Picciano, with an overnight stay at Masseria La Fiorita, which offers A/R transfers from the same Terra Rossa Parking lot.

4. Conclude the 7-stage walk by staying overnight at Masseria Santa Maria and, the next day, requesting a transfer from the managers to the Picciano Sanctuary, from which to continue on a regular basis.

5. Conclude in 7 STAGES with a facilitated departure from Gravina, requesting facilities for a transfer to Terra Rossa Parking (km 14) and then traveling the remaining 16 km to the Sanctuary.

6. Close the STAGE at Terra Rossa Parking (km 14) by requesting recovery from Masseria La Fiorita, where you will stay overnight in preparation for the next STAGE to Picciano.

STAGE 07: Picciano to Matera

Departure: Picciano
Arrival: Matera
Distance: 29.7 km
Height difference: +0 m/ – 0 m

The STAGE begins at the Benedictine Sanctuary of Picciano, a place of silence and contemplation, from which the path begins a slow descent toward the tuffaceous plain on which Matera lies. The landscape gradually opens up, revealing the extraordinary beauty of the rocky habitat: a succession of cliffs, caves and hollows carved into the rock, where man has left evidence of himself from prehistory to the present day.

The route grazes the San Giuliano Nature Reserve, one of the most important wetlands in Basilicata, a refuge for numerous species of migratory birds and an ideal place for a short stop in the quiet.

The entrance to Matera is from Rione Casalnuovo, the natural gateway to the Sassi area, where stone becomes architecture and memory. Among the alleys carved out of the tuff, the Via Peuceta finds its conclusion in the Cathedral of the Madonna della Bruna, which dominates the city from above with its elegant Romanesque facade.

Short variant

Those who prefer a lighter route can choose a 15-kilometer variant, which passes through the industrial area of La Martella and makes it possible to reach Matera in about 4 hours of walking.
The GPX track of the variant is available in the general download area of the official camminomaterano.it page