Gravina in Puglia: the ravine city
A town built on the lip of a deep gorge in the Alta Murgia, honeycombed with cave dwellings and rock churches, crossed by the arched aqueduct bridge that James Bond ran across in No Time to Die. If you love Matera but not its crowds, this is its quieter, cheaper neighbour, an hour from Bari and half an hour from the Sassi. Best understood as a striking half-day of ravine, caves and stone.
What to see in Gravina in Puglia
Let me be honest about the shape of a visit. Gravina is not a checklist town; it is a landscape you walk into. The pleasure is in three things: the bridge over the gorge, the churches cut into the rock and the hidden city beneath your feet. Half a day covers it, and it rewards the curious.
The Ponte Acquedotto (yes, the James Bond bridge)
The town’s postcard: a two-tier stone aqueduct viaduct striding across the ravine, built in the 17th century to carry water and to let pilgrims reach the little church of the Madonna della Stella on the far side. It collapsed in the earthquake of 1722 and was rebuilt. In 2021 it starred in No Time to Die, where the production filmed Gravina and Matera separately and blended them on screen. Walk across it for the view straight down into the gorge.
The rupestrian cave churches
Gravina, like Matera, has churches carved straight out of the soft limestone. The most striking is San Michele delle Grotte, hollowed from a single mass of rock between roughly the 8th and 10th centuries, with five naves under fourteen stone pillars and faded medieval frescoes. A side cave holds a mysterious jumble of human bones, said to be martyrs of a 10th-century Saracen raid. Cool, dim and ancient, it is the real thing.
The underground city
Under the streets and houses lies a second Gravina: a warren of caves, cellars, cisterns and rock churches dug over centuries into the limestone. Guided tours of the Gravina Sotterranea take you down into it, past old wine cellars and water systems and a hidden rock chapel. It is the best way to understand how a whole community once lived inside the rock.
A city on the ravine
Gravina takes its name from the thing that defines it: the gravina, the deep limestone gorge it is built along. People have lived in and around that ravine since prehistory, and the layers of that long story are what give the town its character.
The oldest chapter sits on the hill of Botromagno across the ravine, where an Iron Age settlement grew into an important ancient town long before Rome. In the Middle Ages the population moved down into the gorge, carving the cave-dwelling quarter of Fondovito into the cliff, exactly the kind of rock-cut living you see at Matera. In 1231 the emperor Frederick II built a hunting lodge here, now a ruin above the town, and for centuries the powerful Orsini family held Gravina, giving it a duke, a cardinal and, in 1649, a future pope: Benedict XIII, born here as Pietro Francesco Orsini.
At the heart of the old town stands the cathedral, Norman in origin (11th to 12th century), rebuilt after fire and earthquake, and home to an unlikely relic: an arm of Thomas Becket, brought to Gravina in the 12th century. The finds from all this history fill the Pomarici Santomasi museum, in the palazzo the Orsini once owned.
| Gravina in brief | Note |
|---|---|
| The ravine | A deep limestone gorge; the town is built along its lip |
| Ancient roots | Iron Age settlement on the Botromagno hill |
| Frederick II | 1231 hunting lodge, now a ruin above the gorge |
| The Orsini | Feudal lords for centuries; a pope born here in 1649 |
| On screen | The aqueduct bridge in No Time to Die (2021) |
Gravina sits on the Alta Murgia plateau, right by the Puglia-Basilicata border and Matera.
Where to stay in Gravina in Puglia
My honest steer: Gravina works best as a half-day stop or a quieter, cheaper base for the Murgia and Matera than the Sassi themselves. There are cave-stay B&Bs and small hotels in and around the old town, and prices sit well below Matera’s. Many travellers simply day-trip here from a base in the Valle d’Itria or from Matera; if you want the ravine to yourself at dawn and dusk, sleep here.
Compare live prices for hotels and B&Bs in and around Gravina in Puglia on the map.
Our top experiences in Gravina in Puglia
The best of Gravina is guided and underground: a walk down into the hidden city, the cave churches and the pairing with Matera next door. The experiences hub links the rest of Puglia.
See live tours and activities in Gravina in Puglia
Live availability and prices via GetYourGuide, updated in real time.
Getting to Gravina in Puglia
Gravina sits inland on the Alta Murgia plateau, near the Basilicata border. It is an easy run from Bari, and one of the few Puglia towns you can reach without a car thanks to the FAL railway.
| From | Distance | By car |
|---|---|---|
| Bari | ~60 km | ~1 hr |
| Bari airport (BRI) | ~65 km | ~1 hr |
| Matera | ~30 km | ~30 min |
| Altamura | ~12 km | ~15 min |
| Castel del Monte | ~55 km | ~50 min |
| Alberobello | ~70 km | ~1 hr 10 |
By train: the FAL (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) line links Gravina to Bari and on towards Matera. · Best towns in Puglia
Arriving by air? Bari (BRI) is the nearest airport, about an hour away. A fixed-price private airport transfer takes the stress out of the first leg, and an Italy eSIM gives you maps and data the moment you land. For the wider Murgia and Castel del Monte you will want your own wheels: see renting a car in Puglia.
Day trips from Gravina in Puglia
Gravina makes a natural pair with the towns of the Murgia and, just over the regional border, with Matera. String a couple together for a rich inland day.
Matera
The famous Sassi cave city, just over the border · ~30 min
Altamura
DOP bread, a great Romanesque cathedral & the Man of Altamura · ~15 min
Castel del Monte
Frederick II’s octagonal crown · ~50 min · Castel del Monte guide
All destinations
Best time to visit
Spring and autumn are ideal for a town that is about walking, ravines and caves rather than the beach: April to June and September to October give warm days without the fierce Murgia summer heat. The cave sites stay cool even in August. Best time to visit Puglia
Keep planning
Practical guides: Getting to Puglia · Renting a car in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia: FAQ
What is Gravina in Puglia known for?
Gravina in Puglia is a ravine city in the Alta Murgia, best known for its Ponte Acquedotto, a two-tier aqueduct bridge across the gorge that featured in the James Bond film No Time to Die. It is also known for rupestrian cave churches such as San Michele delle Grotte, an underground city carved into the soft limestone and for being a quieter, cheaper neighbour to nearby Matera.
Is Gravina in Puglia worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you love Matera but want fewer crowds. Gravina has the same drama of a town built on a ravine full of cave dwellings and rock churches, plus the striking James Bond bridge and an underground city to explore, and it sees a fraction of Matera’s visitors. Give it half a day, easily paired with Matera or Altamura.
Was James Bond really filmed here?
Yes. The 2021 film No Time to Die shot a chase at the Ponte Acquedotto, the aqueduct bridge over the Gravina ravine. The production filmed Gravina and nearby Matera separately and combined them digitally, so some shots blend Gravina’s bridge with Matera’s Sassi.
How do you get to Gravina in Puglia?
Gravina sits inland in the Alta Murgia, about an hour from Bari by car or on the FAL (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) railway. Bari airport is around 60 km away. It is very close to Matera, about half an hour by car, which makes the two easy to combine.
Is Gravina the same as Matera?
No, but they are close cousins. Both are built on ravines honeycombed with cave dwellings and rock churches, and they sit only about half an hour apart on opposite sides of the Puglia-Basilicata border. Matera is far more famous and busier; Gravina offers a similar landscape with a fraction of the crowds.
Related: Walking in Puglia · Cammino Materano · Castel del Monte · All destinations · Best time to visit · Getting to Puglia
I grew up in the province of Brindisi and spent 30 years in Puglia. Gravina is the kind of place I send friends who have "done" Matera and want the same wonder without the queues. Everything above is checked on the ground; when a place changes, it gets updated. More about who is behind this guide