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MICELE SINKHOLE
It is a sinkhole with a mouth large more than 3 metres.It is
obstructed by many debrises coming from outpouring.
DOG CAVE
It is a natural cavity that turned into a cistern by the
obstruction of a fracture under it. Later it was demolished to
plant a vineyard.
HORSE HOLE
It is a fossil sinkhole about 12 metres deep and it is totally
obstructed.
NOVE CASEDDE CAVE
This is a famous cavity in which they found very important signs
of the use of civilization from Aeneolithic times to the Middle
Ages.You should notice wide digs in which, in the past,they
found integral cinerary urns. Near a pool of collection of the
dripping, some inscriptions of the XII-XIII cent. a.C. were
damaged by clumsy “searchers” who tried to decipher them. Even
some inscriptions with religious symbols were damaged by the
throwing of stones.At the bottom of the cavity, some
inscriptions of the XVI century have been partly covered by
engravings and love messages from the XX century! The popularity
of this cave made it a place where everybody goes quite often,
both people that are well-meaning or bad-meaning. You can notice
it just looking at evident signs of removals of big “slices” of
calcite sediments,at sentences and drawings made with spray
varnish by stupid people, at ransackings in areas where there
might have been ancient burials or at the removal of big
quantities of “latte di monte” (mountain milk). Another damage
was made, but it is not evident to those who see for the first
time the scenery just described; a big colony of bats that used
to live here has drastically been reduced. Some years ago, the
Speleologic Group of Martina (GSM), as a political choice, gave
up the use of this place for its didactic excursions, except
when it is necessary, because they don’t want to make it too
popular. We hope someone in the Administration will recognize
this problem and will help us to preserve this place that is a
collective good, without developing a touristic exploitation
which could be even more dangerous. There is a project that is
not a speleological one, that is being carried on. It pretendes
to offer new jobs and some politicians are trying to sponsor it.
We hope those people with get in contact with experts of
Speleology and will understand they are making a mistake.
PILANO CAVE
This is another famous cavity of the territory. Its wide
admission cavern preserved a big archaeologic site dated back to
the High Paleolitic times. In the Fifties however, it a big part
was destroyed by the old Mayor Motoloese, who tried to turn it
into a touristic site. Later on, because of the easy admission
to the place, nearly the whole calcitic decoration was destroyed.
The popularity of this archaeologic site attracted many abuses,
some of which in recent times.During the last “raid” of those
vandals, a large part of the sediment was devastated and the big
layer of bone breccia was spoiled. That bone breccia had
preserved faunistic bony finds, many of which were leftovers and
others had been worked and used as utensils and tools.
CENTOCAMERE CAVE
This is a modest cave that was used as a cattle recovery not so
long ago.The place is also well known by fowlers and it has
totally been sacked of its ornaments.
PALESI “GRAVE”
This is a big sinkhole of a vast meteoric water catch basin.At
the bottom of its entrance well, there often are carcasses of
big animals (cows, donkeys, horses) and other rubbish.
LA CUPA “GRAVE”
This is a sinkhole settled in the Valle D’Itria. It was used as
a sewer dumping of the town until its obstruction. Now the sewer
pipes go toward two sinkholes nearby. One of these was
discovered during a removal and the other one split open under
the pressure of the obstruction of the “grave”. The purification
plant, made for a population of 20.000 people, was proclaimed
inadequate different times. Its expansion was postponed many
times because of political impediments, even though it has
already been paid for this project.
MONTETULLIO CAVE
This cave is often mistaken for another cave where the snow is
kept that is near there.
It got destroyed in 1996, during a removal to built some houses.
The GSM group knew that the cave was registered in the land
register of Region Puglia L.R.32/86 and it tried to stop the
destruction of the place and informed the Public Prosecution. In
the meanwhile, the cavity was totally uncovered and filled with
the removal rubbles. This is why the Tecnical Commercial Office
did not find any cave in the place we showed them when they had
to write a report about the fact. Then, we realized that the
regional law had no power to preserve our speleologic property
and so we had to do something to improve the situation and we
thought that the law 32/60 needed some rules for the enforcement
of it.
THE COOK CAVE
It is one of the widest cavities and it has a vertical entrance
4 metres deep. In the past it surely was the home of the biggest
colony of bats in the area. In the beginning of the Seventies it
was sacked of many of its shapes, even some big colonnades were
removed.This cave in the territory of Martina is definitely the
one used to make touristic souvenirs.Then it was used by car
thieves as a place where to hide cars and parts of them.The last
one was put on fire and this produced a great damage to the
changeable and subtle ecosystem of the cave.We informed the
Carabinieri who carried out some serious checks around the area
and this obliged the thieves to find another place. However
eight wrecks remained in the cave until, recently, we organized
a reclamation action.Nowadays the Cook Cave is cleaned and
preserved by a gate and it slowly is recovering; an example of
this is given by the fact that bats are restocking the place.
For the first time an Italodites appeared,too. (we are sure it
was already there but he didn’t want to show itself among all
that rubbish!)
MONTE FELLONE CAVE
This cavity is interesting to study the prehistoric Neolithic
era and it was the object of some confused archaeological
excavations during the Sixties. Recently, a big horse was thrown
down from its vertical entrance. From its horizontal entrance,
instead, car wrecks appear and disappear.Inside, there are signs
of underground excavations.
FOGGIA NUOVA CAVE
The cavity has a vertical access about 8 metres deep and maybe
this is why it has not been plundered many times yet. Some
unscrupulous pseudoarcheologists, even if they know the site,
(the discovery of an Aeneolithic vase is mentioned in an old
Parezan publication) probably have not still prepared themselves
for this. How long will this last? Today, the mentioning of the
site on this list may give us an exact time reference.
PAPA CIRO CAVE
The cave takes its name from a famous bandit, who surely took
place in the ransack of its paleoground, that was in part
shelterd by a layer of animal excrements.The animals used to
stay here not so long ago.Part of this layer, which is now
cemented as time goes by, was removed and it thieves may
consider it interesting.
MONTE PELOSELLO GRAVE
It is a natural deep sinkhole and it was always used as an
unloaded site for the cattle.Its peculiartity was to have a
large number of big dog corpses.Once, we found one dog still
alive (it is 40 metres deep) and we managed to save it. Now
there also is a great amount of special and toxic rubbish (lots
of medicines) and the case has been taken to Court.
THIRTY DOGS CAVE
It is very closed to the One Hundred Rooms Cave and it had the
same fate.
MASSERIA PASTORE CAVE
This one, of big archaeologic interest, has already been
examined.
ORIMINI CAVES (Parco della Vigna-Riparo della Breccia)
These caves are settled next to each other over a gully with
that name. They probably represent the most important and
popular prehistoric site to abusive researchers. It was recently
made twice a big dig that was sacked over there and it seems
that in stratigraphy they highlightened some elements from the
Mousterian Age.
FIASCONE CAVE
Even this cave has an archaeologic importance and was “visited”
by abusive researchers. At the bottom, besides the fact that its
paleoground is partly covered by external stones, you can see a
deep dig.
VUOLO CAVES
They are about ten small cavities that open along a long gully
which suited the needs of people thousands years ago. This
peculiarity and the presence of a big cave where it is said that
was the shelter of a famous bandit (“sergent” Romano) were the
reasons for which those places were widely ransacked.
VOCCOLE SHELTER
Even if it is very small, its paleogruond was ransacked.
S.ANGELO CAVE
This is an interesting cave in which there are plenty
inscriptions with Byzantyne, Latin and Medieval crosses.There
also are burial ruins.At the bottom, maybe because of Speleology
(they explored the place and so made a dig!) something similar
to a burial was ransacked.
WELL OF THE CAVE
It is settled in a cave that was a municipal dump and now it is
completely full of rubbish.
MASSERIA CASINO CAVE
It is near the famous Nove Casedde and it seems there have been
similar ransackings. Not so long ago, the cavity was totally
obstructed by external stones and, paradoxically, it was covered
by them. The owner of the place was offered different times to
drain it for free. Was it because someone was interested into a
virgin archaeologic site?!
ROSSINI SINKHOLE
It is a sinkhole for meteoric water and it never was properly
examined, maybe because there are sickening animal corpses at
the bottom.
MASSERIA ORIMINI CAVE
It is on the edge of a cultivated field and it is nearly full of
stones.
STABLE CAVE
It takes you over the superior edge of a limestone quarry and it
will probably disappear.
MONTE D’ORO CAVE
P.Prenzan indicated it as a place of archaeologic interest and
maybe it was like that. Now it is a confused place and all the
concretions were removed.
CORAME CAVE
It is a small cave that was untouched until a couple of years
ago. Once, a couple of weeks after a re-examination for a
registration, we found a deep anwide excavation and the sediment
there had been sifted.In a niche in the wall there were may bone
finds that had probably been left apart by the “researchers”.
There were no signs of human precence in ancient times.
LUPOLI CAVE
This cavity was also widely “researched” by the same “University
of archaeological research”. [Enzo Pascali, GSM
President] |
