Altopiano delle Murge

The Murge plateau covers a surface of some 4,000 km², bordered by the Ofanto river and the Tavoliere delle Puglie to the north, the Adriatic Sea to the northeast, and by the Messapic depression, which separates it from the Salento peninsula, to the south.

The large karstic doline of Molfetta is known locally as the 'Pulo' and lies south-west of the town, near the Adriatic coast, taking the form of an oval-shaped depression with a depth of some thirty metres.

The highest point of the plateau is called Monte Caccia, at 679 m. The climate is cold in winter, with average temperatures in the 1-6 °C range.

Historically, the Murge have been the seat of transhumance practice in animal husbandry, since at least the first millennium BC,[3] with cattle being moved to Abruzzo in summer, and southwards during winter.

Until the 19th century, agriculture was characterized by large latifundia, owned by a few landowners, and the relative lack of water, forming part of a region sometimes called "the feudal South".