The Alta Murgia, a bare and stony plateau (its name derives form murex, projection of rock), is situated not far from the urban area.

Formed by limestone, the Alta Murgia is theatre of natural spectacles such as dolines, caves, gravine, gurghi which are all the result of carsismo (a geological phenomenon). The vegetation is varied. In summer, when the climate is arid, a sort of steppe dominates the landscape, while during spring time, when the climate becomes milder, the vegetation includes 1.500 species of flowers such as thistles, poppies, anemones and above all, rare, wild, orchids.

A limited area is characterised by the presence of pine-trees, cypresses and a particular species of oak, the so-called roverella, which is capable of standing long periods of continous dry weather. Trulli, specchie, jazzi, masserie, are buildings which testify the existence of a process of stratification which has stimulated a more and more complex network of relationships between man and environment.

Masserie are the most representative architectural expression of the territory: some of them are situated alongside the large streches covered by shepherds during the transhumance, which consisted in seasonal shifts from mountain pastures to plain. The realization of these building has followed different criteria in order to facilitate the different rural activities from cereal growing to the processing of cheese. Nowadays, there are still sheep pens situated at the foot of the hills, while jazzi are placed towards the south; here, by exploiting their position on the sloping and sunny surface, they were sheltered from the wind and facilitated in making water provision.

The Alta Murgia is a heart of stone, rich of environmental niches representing the conditions in which many species can live successfully: toads, lizards, geckos, vipers, foxes, weasels, hares, crows, quails, robins and predatory birds. The preservation of these species and the safeguard of the landscape are the aims to achieve throught the institution of the first rural park in Italy.