Gargano: Paleolithic caves and villages.
TheGargano is one of the areas that we know with certainty have been inhabited since really remote times. The first traces of man and his settlements date back to the Paleolithic. Among the most fascinating prehistoric places to discover is the Paglicci cave in Defensola in the countryside of Rignano Garganico full of graffiti, rudimentary rock paintings and handprints.
Three burials and numerous individual human remains have been found in the cave. Paglicci's remains belong to Cro-Magnon man. And the discovery in the cave of the oldest dog that lived in Italy dating from between 14,000 and 20,000 years ago is recent.
Not far away, on the western slopes of the Gargano promontory, we find Grotta Spagnoli. In addition to being repeatedly visited by man, the cave has been a refuge for various animal species, including the hyena, which lived during the Upper Pleistocene, and the porcupine in the Holocene.
In the beautiful territory of Peschici, you can also reach the Grotto of the Gods in the Bay of Manaccora. Discovered in the late 1920s, the large natural cavity was also used by Bronze Age men who exploited the niches and natural openings to build hypogeic structures intended to host propitiatory fertility rites.
Toward the Neolithic period, however, communities on the plateau moved to the Manfredonia area where entrenched villages sprang up. At that time the spur of Italy became a center of trade and commerce. A beautiful testimony to the period is certainly the necropolis of the Daunians on Mount Saraceno.
To best organize your trip to Prehistoric times and the Gargano promontory, you have as your first choice to book one of the Gargano vacation homes among those available to us and use it as a strategic point for your adventure.
The Land of Bari and the Man of Altamura
Continuing our journey, we encounter Bari. The history of human settlements in the Land of Bari begins with the fossil remains of theAltamura Man. They represent an archaic form of Neanderthal Man (dating back about 250,000 years), discovered in the1990s in Lamalunga Cave.
The area of the Terra di Bari that holds the most interesting finds is the Grotta delle Mura in Monopoli. These remains prove the presence of inhabitants since the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, probably belonging to the Neanderthal man species. Archaeological research has unearthed numerous finds, including flint tools and meal remains belonging to wild animals hunted by man such as horses, donkeys, and wild oxen.
The most interesting find, however, is certainly the burial of a child about two years old, which testifies to an accurate cult ritual . Today the cave is closed to the public to preserve its fragility, but it is still possible to admire it by walking along the coast of Lido Porto Rosso.
Here again, to have access to history in the most comfortable way possible, you will find it helpful to book a vacation rental in the Bari area. You will discover all the wonders of prehistoric Apulia from a privileged vantage point.
The Valle d'Itria and the woman of Ostuni
Let's continue further into the Valle d'Itria. Our journey to discover the prehistoric sites of Puglia takes us straight to the Ostuni area. The earliest human traces in Ostuni date back more than 40,000 years , and the surrounding countryside is dotted with millennia-old findsthat make the town a major archaeological landmark.
The undisputed symbol of prehistoric life in the Valle d'Itria isthe Woman of Ostuni, "Delia," an approximately 28,000-year-old skeleton belonging to a young pregnant Messapian girl found in the Karst Cave of Agnano, inside the eponymous Archaeological Park. This is not a simple burial but an important ritual, given her grave goods and the location of the burial.
Important traces of religious attendance have also been found in Agnano Cave, with sacrificial finds such as statuettes in the shape of piglets or bulls.
To get a closer look at artifacts and objects related to prehistory in Apulia, an essential stop is the Museum the Museum of Preclassic Civilizations in Ostuni born with the archaeological discoveries that occurred only in the Ostuni countryside, with the passage of time it has housed artifacts from almost the entire southern Murge area.
In short, a land to discover: its millenary history will be at your disposal if you decide to book a vacation home in Valle d'Itria among those available in our catalog.
Salento, the dolmens and menhirs of Puglia
Let's conclude with Salento. A place littered with evidence of life in prehistoric Apulia. Within the territory it is possible to follow a rich and surprising itinerary because of its variety and the beauty of the places that host the rock sites.
Among the most striking destinations is certainly the Grotta dei Cervi in Porto Badisco, where an ancient and unknown population had found a home devoting themselves to handing down to posterity, through a very rich production of cave paintings, the typical activities of their daily life.
From the beautiful Adriatic coast, a few minutes by car will take you to Maglie and its rich Civic Museum of Paleontology and Palethnology. The center houses valuable artifacts from the surrounding area.
Among them are the famous Venuses of Parabita, bone statuettes representing the image of fertility personified by two figures of evidently pregnant women dating from the time of Neanderthal Man and Cro-Magnon Man.
Moving a little further north into the territory bordering Lecce, one encounters Lucera and Cavallino, where there are traces of ancient hut settlements, a later stage in the evolution of primitive man, who from being a nomad and hunter began to settle in the territory and engage in agriculture.
Finally, one cannot overlook the countless sites with the presence of dolmens and menhirs found almost everywhere in Salento.
The dolmen of Minervino di Lecce, called Li Scusi, the first to be found in Apulia, in 1879, and the second largest in the entire region. The dolmens of Giurdignano, famous precisely for the high number of dolmens scattered throughout the territory.
Thedolmens of Melendugno, on the other hand, are two: the Placa positioned along the provincial road to Calimera, and the Gurgulante, located on the same road and about 90 cm high.
In Salve, on the other hand, it is possible to admire what remains of the Cosi dolmen. In addition to the stone structure, its interior has revealed bones, teeth and earthenware shards.
To have the whole Salento at your fingertips, you can choose among the beauties of the area those that inspire you most and book your ideal accommodation among the vacation homes in Salento Adriatico or among the vacation homes in Salento Ionico. Choose your place of the heart and discover prehistoric Apulia with eyes full of wonder.
