We think the chirp of the swallows, that sweet chirping that spreads before dawn between claustri white Altamura, where they fly to thousands, to wake up every day Giuseppe Carlucci. Baker's Oven Santa Caterina, along with the Santa Chiara, one of the oldest in the town of Alta Murgia opened by far in 1724, crosses Corso Frederick II paved stone that shines in the morning mist. Makes the sign of the cross in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption that the intent of the Stupor Mundi was to be the palace chapel of the city that had rebuilt after being destroyed by the Saracens - the emblem of Altamura reads "Federicus reparavit me" - and takes a look irresistible rose to 15 rays and the bas-relief depicting the Agnus Dei. Then you leave the trap of dense web of alleys of this walled citadel that, thanks to the intuition Frederick to make it a paradise off shore tax already in the thirteenth century, calamitò textile merchants, traders Jews, Greeks.
At this Altamura smells of yeast and oak from the forests potentine that Joseph and other bakers burned in ovens kept burning from one of the previous night. Then he got on the long wooden rod, and feature on the blade at its end the dough 'miraculous' composed flour of different qualities of durum wheat milled together, dall'appulo Archangel, from duilio to simeto, mixed with the water, yeast sour dough and salt, shaped bare hands, and left to rise for two hours. It will then fire to mold it to form the sculpture yellow, crunchy crust, the bread soft and porous, called "U sckuanète" bread overlapped. His goodness and fragrance are witnessed by Dop recognition, as well as from its use in other recipes typical of this area such as Slice Francesca with mortadella and grated cheese, the Waffle with winter tomatoes, half a potato, black olives and turnip greens or just eating it along with the exquisite mozzarella woven Nuts.
Fruitful, are in fact the rolling fields of Alta Murgia, keepers of flavors but also remains almost unknown, as the dinosaur footprints discovered by chance in 1999 by geologists Massimo Sarti and Michele Claps an area of 12 thousand square meters within a quarry in Pontrelli, next to the church of San Sabino in Stove, near the former state road 171 Altamura-Santeramo in Colle. From Africa, smaller in size than chimps lived millions of years before, belonging to eight species, or perhaps ankylosaurs hadrosaur from the elongated neck, legs round, definitely vegetarian, have left footprints in the lower limbs but also higher on mud: the largest has a diameter of 37 centimeters. We also recognize tracks that cross, even the feet of puppies. Unfortunately, however, what would be the Jurassic park with the largest number of footprints in the world versa abandoned among weeds and rusty machinery of excavation, at the mercy of the weather and especially the bureaucracy.
After 15 years, in fact, is not yet resolved the dispute between the properties of the quarry and the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Puglia on the estimate of the amount to be paid by way of expropriation. E 'instead pampered and coddled, as probably never happened to him in his earthly existence occurred about 70 thousand years ago, the Man of Altamura, the most intact and complete male skeleton ever found, including cartilage, found in the Cave of Lamalunga 18 meters of depth. Coated coral concretions, this unique specimen of Homo neanderthalensis, five feet tall and can be seen in two ways: lowering bravely nell'inghiottitoio the cave and then into the labyrinth of tunnels, proceeding between stalagmites and stalactites, or through a camera allows to distinguish the humerus, the nose, even the spongy tissues of the bone. Maybe it was a shepherd who was grazing the flock, as happens today, where now is the Pulo of Altamura, the largest sinkhole of Europe, or a crater 600 meters in diameter, more than 90 meters deep, steep-like a canyon, around which you can go trekking, or go down to the heart of this chasm, or browse in the many small cells, tunnels and caves dug into the rock and inhabited in the Paleolithic, where now the crows nest real.
In addition to the wonder of sinkholes and rolling fields of wheat that is discovered on the surface, the Alta Murgia also has a soul more hellish equally fascinating and mysterious. In its bowels, in fact, especially in Castellana Grotte, caves hidden, illuminated by the light that creeps imperious from the gorges of rock treasures of nature such as stalactites and stalagmites. Some of these rock parure white and hazelnut feature certain forms bowler who remember their Altamura bread.