The Apulian Aqueduct Cycle Route Across the Murge

There's a simple and captivating idea behind this journey: follow the water. The Apulian Aqueduct, one of Italy's great hydraulic works, has for over a century carried water from the Apennines down to the heel of Italy, and its main channel runs hidden beneath a service track that has today become an extraordinary greenway. To ride along it is to cross the Alta Murgia, an open, almost uninhabited limestone plateau, one of the least populated and least touristy areas of Apulia, a world away from the postcard image of the coast.

The landscape

Here the landscape is that of the Mediterranean steppe: grassy expanses, stony ground, few trees and a vast horizon. These are the pastures where the transhumance flocks once arrived, and even today you come across the jazzi, the ancient stone shelters for sheep, and the isolated masserie that dot the emptiness. The heart of this territory is the Alta Murgia National Park, with Castel del Monte, the enigmatic octagonal keep of Frederick II, which rises solitary over the plateau and is the most recognisable landmark of the whole area.

The itinerary along the channel touches or skirts towns like Gravina in Puglia, perched over its deep ravine carved by the torrent, with its aqueduct bridge and rock-hewn churches; Spinazzola and Minervino Murge, nicknamed the Balcony of the Murge precisely for its views; and further south the villages of the Murgia of trulli and caves. Along the route you meet the characteristic structures of the aqueduct, cottages and channel bridges, signs of an engineering feat that changed the history of this thirsty land.

The terrain

The surface is mostly packed gravel, the classic aqueduct service road, and that's why you need the right bike: gravel or mountain bike, with tyres that don't fear the stony and gravelly stretches. The beauty of the plateau is that the gradients along the channel generally stay gentle and steady, because the water flows by gravity; overall, though, the Murgia is a succession of undulations and there's no shortage of the odd sharp pitch. The effort is within reach of anyone with a bit of training, but the real difficulty here is something else: the isolation and the exposure.

For precisely this reason self-sufficiency is essential. On the plateau there are no fountains, bars or villages for kilometres: the refuelling points are the towns on the edges, so you must set off loaded with water, especially since shade is practically absent and the sun beats down. To get here you rely by car or train on the Murgia towns such as Gravina, Altamura or Spinazzola, well known for their bread and local produce, from which you join the route. Study in advance where to head back toward a village should the need arise.

When to go

The best period is the shoulder seasons: from spring to autumn, avoiding the heart of summer. April and May are splendid, with the steppe green and in bloom and the wild orchids; autumn, up to October, brings golden light and gentle temperatures. Summer on the plateau is harsh, with intense heat and no shelter, while winter can be windy and bitter. Crowds simply don't exist: this is one of the places where you're most likely to spend an entire day without crossing paths with anyone, and that's exactly what makes it precious.

Practical tips

A practical tip: treat the sun and the water as the real challenge of the journey. Set off early in the morning to ride in the cool hours, wear protection and a hat, bring more water than you think you'll drink and plan your stages so you reach a village before the hottest part of the afternoon. And treat yourself to a stop at a masseria: many today welcome travellers and offer the best way to savour Altamura bread and Murgia cheeses after a day of steppe and silence.