The rocky world
The rocky world
By: Redazione CartApuliaSince the Middle Ages, ancient natural cavities have hosted religious rites and hermit communities throughout Apulia. This tour tells how the Christian religion spread out of the towns, handing down to us the treasures of the rocky world. Starting from the Hermitages of Pulsano in Monte Sant'Angelo, we visit some caves that were part of the Abbey of Santa Maria. The numerous wall paintings, such as those of the Rock Church of San Vito Vecchio in Gravina di Puglia, prove the existence of these communities in the past. Near Mottola, we admire the Rock Church of Santa Margherita and the medieval rock settlement of Casalrotto, dating back to the 11th and 14th centuries. Proceeding towards Brindisi, we meet the Lama D'Antico Rock Park, San Giovanni and San Lorenzo in Fasano. The Crypt of San Biagio in Brindisi houses Byzantine frescoes mixed with the local figurative culture that display scenes from the life of Christ and figures of saints. Salento shows traces of the rocky world, too: some examples are the Crypt of Santa Cristina (also known as Madonna delle Grazie) in Carpignano, built between the 9th and 10th centuries, and the Rock Settlement of Macurano in Alessano. This consists of thirty-one cavities used for agriculture and the collection of food for the surrounding communities.