Geoheritage Symposium

The steep scarp near the town of Spinazzola separates the Murge hills, in Apulia, from the Bradano trough, in Basilicata. This area is part of the Alta Murgia National Park, the first ever rural park in Italy. The breathtaking landscape is enriched by several awesome expressions of karst processes that shaped the Cetaceous bedrock for tens of millions years, such as the reddish bauxite deposits (quarried until the '80s of the last century in the Murgetta Rossa locality) and two among the biggest dolines in Italy: the Pulicchio, near Gravina, and the Pulo near Altamura. On the top of the scarp there is the impressive Rocca del Garagnone, the ruins of a castle built during the middle ages.

The "Stones" of Matera are located along a deeply incised Pleistocene river valley called the "Gravina", in the oldest part of the town. The ancient inhabitations have been dug since prehistoric times into the calcarenite bedrock. In some parts of the Sassi, the narrow streets facing the cave-houses run often above the rooftops of the downhill houses. Until a couple of dozens of years ago this area was almost deserted, because it was considered unlivable. Recently, however, this area has become more tourism-oriented since it was declared part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

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Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region, often described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"; this is one of the most touristy Italian areas during the summertime. The entire coastland offers amazing sights, characterized by steep cliffs and a number of marine caves holding prehistoric treasures. The hinterland is dominated by wide fields cultivated with olive trees and nice small lightful towns built with the local stone called "Pietra Leccese".

In Apulia there are a few huge dolines: the Dolina Pozzatina, in the Gargano area, and the Pulo di Altamura and the Pulicchio di Gravina on the Murge hills. Their perimeters span several hundreds of meters, their depth is some 100 meters. These large dolines originated after the collapse of huge cave systems excavated by karst processes.