Monday, January 19, 2009

Il Pulo

Molfetta's "pulo" is a karstic doline (or sinkhole) formed by the collapse of the ceiling of an underground cavern, possibly as the result of an earthquake, somewhere between 60 to 250 million years ago. It is about 30 meters deep and about 180 meters across, at its widest point.

The "pulo" was inhabited continuously from Neolithic times on. There are many natural caves in the stone walls that were used as living spaces. Think cavemen! You can see some of the caves on the far wall in the photo. This is considered to be one of the most important Neolithic sites in southern Italy.

The "pulo" has just recently been opened to the public thanks to the efforts of seven local volunteer associations. Visiting hours are on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I'll show you more details in the days to come.

5 comments:

Ann said...

That looks really interesting.

Maria Verivaki said...

very interesting, love places like this

USelaine said...

I'm looking forward to more details. I'm fascinated by discoveries around our prehistoric lives.

VP said...

Count me in too! Are you wordplaying in italian with this title?

Saretta said...

More tomorrow... And, no, V.Poet! I'm not doing wordplay...though I can imagine what you mean! It's called a "pulo"!