Megalithic Salento
Megalithic Salento
By: Redazione CartApuliaThis itinerary leads us on the trail of ancient prehistoric civilisations, from Dolmen to Menhir, along a fascinating journey through the Megalithic Salento. The first megalith we meet is the Menhir of Pietragrossa in Novoli, probably originally larger. The purpose of these vertically erected boulders still remains an enigma: it seems that the Menhir were astronomical observatories in religious cults or, perhaps, monuments linked to the cult of fertility. The Sigismondo Castromediano Museum houses numerous Neolithic finds and some of them are from the Grotta della Trinità in Ruffano. Moving inland we come across two other Menhirs: the Menhir of Sant'Anna and the Menhir della stazione, which is more than four metres high. The Dolmen are another trace of megalithic culture, related to the cult of the dead. Nearby we can find the "Megalithic Garden", the greatest concentration of these monuments. The last stop of our tour is Gagliano del Capo where we can admire the Menhir of Arigliano and that of Santo Spirito.