Gravina di Puglia



Gravina in Puglia is in Apulia, a region in the southeast of Italy.



Understand
Gravina is in a peculiar territory made out of Karst. The city's subsoil has many underground cavities. Gravina is crossed by the Gravina river on its eastern side. The river has modeled a canyon-like conformation over the years, on which there is a copious amount of rocky churches. The climate is typically Mediterraneean: winters are relatively mild, with temperatures that usually don't go below 0°C. On the other hand, summers are hot and dry.

History
Gravina has a very long history. Its territory proves to be inhabited since the ancient Paleolithic given the presence of the Gravina river, while the most consistent evidence dates back to the Neolithic, since 5950 BC.

At the time of Alexander I of Epirus, Gravina became a Polis that had the right to mint coins. After the Third Samnite War (305 BC), it became a Roman Municipium, touched by the Appian Way. Gravina endured different invasions and after the little inhabited centers were destroyed, the inhabitants were forced to move to the underlying ravine, where there were already different caves, but more buildings were added.

With the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, Gravina, as the rest of the Italian Peninsula, was ravaged by different populations. Around the year 1006 Gravina became a county, after that it was elevated to marquisate.

In 1267 Gravina became a feud of the House of Anjou. During the 13th century, many knight monks came and became lords of Rome's House of Orsini. In 1380, Francis of the House of Orsini was a Prefect in Rome and elevated the feud of Gravina to a Duchy.

The Orsinis were lords from 1380 to 1816. Pietro Francesco Orsini was born there in 1649. During the Bourbon period, oppression and violations of elementary human rights increased. Protagonist of the historical events of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it contributed greatly to the unification of Italy and the First World War. A war memorial in the municipal park was dedicated to them. Later on, the city was partially damaged by bombing by German planes during World War II.

By plane
The closest airport is in Bari.
 * FAL-M4-Gravina.jpg

By car

 * from Northern Italy, take the Autostrada A14 Italia.svg Type-A Motorway Bologna-Taranto.
 * from Bari and Potenza, take the Strada Statale 96 Italia.svg State Highway.
 * from Canosa di Puglia and Foggia, take the Strada Statale 97 Italia.svg State Highway.
 * from Matera, take the Strada Provinciale 53 Italia.svg Provincial Road.

On foot
The streets of the city's historical center are to be explored by foot.

By car
The city has a big area of Traffic-Restricted Zone (ZTL) in its centre, more details can be found here. Some streets have blue parking slots, which means they aren't free of charge.

See
Churches  Rock Churches
 * Chiesa Madonna delle Grazie (XVI sec.) detta anche dell'Aquila.jpg
 * Chiesa Madonna delle Grazie (XVI sec.) detta anche dell'Aquila.jpg
 * Chiesa Madonna delle Grazie (XVI sec.) detta anche dell'Aquila.jpg
 * Chiesa Madonna delle Grazie (XVI sec.) detta anche dell'Aquila.jpg





Civil architecture

Museums



Events

 * Foto fiera-642x335.jpg

Panoramic views

 * Veduta sulla Gravina.jpg



Buy
Among the local products to buy there is Verdeca wine, a sweet wine from Gravina prepared by mixing local vines and Malvasia.

The cola-cola is a bird-shaped whistle, very similar to the Cucù from Matera. Traditionally it was given as a toy for children or given to women as a wedding gift if it was larger in size. In addition to the Casa Museo (see below), several itinerant vendors exhibit them in the streets of the centre.

Eat
On Sunday evening most of the restaurants are closed, even in the summer period. Therefore, the risk of not being able to easily find a place to eat should be considered.

Drink
On summer evenings, the city center is filled with families and young people who stroll and meet in the squares and pubs.

Many vending machines were installed in the city center, they sell all kinds of drinks, but there are also many options nearby because of the elevated number of pubs in the center of Gravina.

Stay safe
The size of the city and the characteristics of the people make Gravina a rather peaceful and danger-free city.

Go next
The following destinations are easily accessible by train, at a fairly cheap price.
 * Matera
 * Bari
 * Altamura