Beneath Gravina: the rock-cut crypts and the Fondovico quarter carved into the tufa
At Gravina in Puglia, the Fondovico quarter and the rock-cut crypts carved into the tufa along the ravine form a silent underground world.
Foto: uscorpioun (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons
Many know Gravina in Puglia for its bridge-aqueduct and for a few film frames, but almost no one truly goes down to where the town sinks into the rock. Along the ravine that gives the town its name, the "gravina", opens the Fondovico quarter: a maze of houses huddled together, narrow alleys and cellars carved into the tufa, the soft limestone that here is dug out as if it were stale bread.
Living in the tufa
For centuries the inhabitants did the same thing: dig. They extracted the tufa from underground and, with the blocks they pulled out, built the houses above the caves themselves, leaving cool spaces behind the walls used as storerooms and cellars. So solid and void blur together, and as you walk you never know whether beneath your feet lies a room or the living rock. The origins of the settlement are ancient, tied to the first communities that grew up on this ridge.
The rock-cut church
The heart of the quarter is the rock-cut church of San Michele delle Grotte, hewn from a single enormous bank of tufa. The space opens into five naves supported by fourteen pillars left in the rock, with traces of ancient frescoes worn away by time. The dimness, the echo of footsteps and the damp air tell of a faith lived underground, sheltered, in ages of raids and fear. Bound up with the church is also the memory of a massacre of the people of Gravina, remembered on the spot.
How to visit
Don't expect signs everywhere or orderly queues. It's best to rely on the local associations and the Museo Capitolare for visits and times, because many spaces open only with guides. Bring closed shoes, a sweatshirt even in summer, and respect: these are places of worship and homes still lived in, not a film set.
When to go
Come out of season, when the alleys of Fondovico return to those who live there. Look out from the terraces over the ravine, let the silence of the tufa fill your time, then climb back up towards the centre for a plate of pasta and a glass of primitivo. It's another Apulia, slow and underground, that asks only to be listened to.
Related guides: Apulia off the beaten track: inland villages far from the crowds · Alternatives to Polignano a Mare: villages and coves of Apulia without the crush · An alternative to Matera: 7 cities of stone of the South to discover.
Getting there
By car from Bari, follow the SS96 towards Altamura and then the signs for Gravina in Puglia; the Fondovico quarter and the rock-cut churches lie in the old town, which is explored on foot. The town is served by a railway station on the line linking it to Altamura, Bari and Matera. The reference airport is Bari.
Practical guides
Practical info
| Where | Gravina in Puglia, Apulia, Italy |
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