Altamura: Where Bread Has the Dignity of a Monument and the Cathedral Bears the Seal of Frederick II

The City of Bread and the Emperor

Altamura is one of those cities you sense before you see it. The smell of bread baking in the wood-fired ovens of the historic centre reaches you before the walls, before the cathedral, before any other impression. It is a dense, ancient scent that seeps into the lanes and accompanies every step. It is no coincidence that Altamura bread was the first in Europe to receive DOP designation: here breadmaking is not a trade, it is an identity.

But Altamura is not only bread. This city of the Barese Murgia, perched on a hill at 467 metres above sea level, holds a cathedral commissioned by Frederick II of Swabia, prehistoric remains of worldwide importance and a historic centre that is a labyrinth of claustri — the characteristic shared courtyards of popular Apulian architecture. If Bari and Lecce attract the spotlights, Altamura works in silence, kneading history and daily life with the same care with which its bakers knead re-milled semolina.

What to See: From Prehistory to Frederick II

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

The Cathedral of Altamura is one of the most important Frederician monuments in Puglia. Founded by Frederick II in 1232 as a gesture of gratitude to the city for its loyalty, it features a facade that is a masterpiece of Apulian Romanesque: a richly sculpted doorway depicting scenes from the life of Christ, a pierced rose window and two twin bell towers rising against the Murgia sky. The interior, reworked in the Baroque period, preserves a fifteenth-century stone nativity scene of great refinement and finely carved choir stalls.

The Claustri of the Historic Centre

The historic centre of Altamura is organised around its claustri — open courtyards shared by several families that functioned as social and residential units. Walking among the claustri is an experience of living urban archaeology: each courtyard has its well, its external stairway, its flower-hung balconies. The claustri of the Sette Piazze quarter are the best preserved and offer photographic vistas of rare beauty. In summer, some claustri host cultural events and concerts.

The Man of Altamura

In 1993, in the karst cave of Lamalunga a few kilometres from the city, a perfectly preserved skeleton of Homo neanderthalensis was discovered, embedded in the calcite concretions of the cave. The Man of Altamura, dated to around 150,000 years ago, is one of the most important paleoanthropological finds in the world. The cave is not open to visitors, but the National Archaeological Museum of Altamura devotes a section to this extraordinary discovery, with reconstructions and materials that tell of life on the Murgia in prehistoric times.

Pulo di Altamura

The Pulo is a gigantic karst sinkhole — a natural pit over 90 metres deep and 500 metres wide — that opens in the Murgia to the north of the city. Along the walls of the Pulo there are caves that were inhabited from the Neolithic. A panoramic path circles the rim of the sinkhole, offering impressive views into the depression and over the surrounding countryside. It is a place of great geological and archaeological power, still little frequented by tourists.

Traditions and Gastronomy: The Ritual of Bread

To speak of Altamura without speaking of its bread would be like visiting Naples without eating pizza. Altamura DOP bread is produced exclusively from re-milled durum wheat semolina grown on the Murgia, sourdough starter, water and salt. The baking happens in wood-fired ovens — and here the ritual begins. The historic ovens in the centre, such as the one in Via Demetrio Catena, light their oak-wood fires at dawn and turn out golden, fragrant loaves that can weigh up to five kilos.

- Focaccia ripiena altamurana: two layers of bread dough filled with onion, olives, tomato and capers, baked in the wood-fired oven. A complete meal for just a few euros.

- Lampascioni: wild Murgia bulbs, prepared fried, baked or preserved in oil. The flavour is bitterish and unmistakable.

- Meat at the grill: bombette, zampina and gnumeredd (offal rolls) cooked over charcoal in open-air braziers. In Altamura the butcher's shop with its attached grill is an institution.

- Cartellate and calzoncelli: Christmas fried pastries — the former rose-shaped and bathed in vincotto, the latter filled with a cream of chickpeas and chocolate.

The Mercato dei Claustri, held every Wednesday morning in the historic centre, is the chance to buy freshly baked bread, Murgia cheeses, fresh lampascioni and extra-virgin olive oil directly from producers. The Festa della Madonna del Buoncammino, in September, enlivens the city with processions, festoon lighting and the traditional fair.

Getting There and When to Visit

Altamura is connected to Bari by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane railway (Bari-Matera line): the journey takes about an hour and the station is just a short walk from the historic centre. By car, it is reached from the SS96, about 45 kilometres from Bari and 20 from Matera. Bari Palese airport is the reference for those arriving by plane.

The city can be visited well at any time of year, but the best months run from March to June and from September to November. In spring the Murgia blooms and the climate is ideal for excursions to the Pulo and in the Alta Murgia Park. Autumn brings warm colours and the cardoncello mushroom season. Summer is hot, but Altamura's evenings are pleasant and the historic centre fills with life through festivals and concerts in the claustri. Altamura combines perfectly with a visit to Gravina in Puglia (15 minutes by car) or Matera (30 minutes), creating an itinerary that tells the story of the civilisation of stone and wheat.