Located on the highest point of the Serra of Pozzomauro, or the Pozzo Magno, from the homonymous medieval house destroyed, according to tradition, by a Saracen attack in the fifteenth century; the specchia seems to still want to play its role as a lookout of the territory although only a few ruins survived from its original structure. ...

The specchia is a real monument that, with its length of 60 meters, it is among the most impressive prehistoric monuments of the Mediterranean. Below the usual accumulation of calcareous stones that distinguish these archaeological evidences, several tombs are preserved, with equipments which allowed the definition of their chronological context. The structural characteristics of the tombs permit to comprehend the degree of expertise and sophistication achieved by this civilization: these graves with units in lithic slabs in which the interred was placed with her trousseau ( a pottery typical of the Bronze Age, or jugs and bowls of various sizes). The size of the units and the presence of access corridors permit to define what real "burial chambers" are. An important ...

The Area Archeologica di Sant'Antonio is one of the four tomb complexes discovered in the territory of Ugento. It is possible to admire the necropolis of Sant'Antonio, near a stretch of Messapian city walls, located just a few steps from the Cripta del Crocefisso and a dovecote probably of medieval origin. Completely dug into bedrock outcrops, it now has 30 graves, originally covered with slabs of rocks. The internal walls have restored some traces of matching red and blue used for band decorations. Retrieved from most of the graves were equipments dating between the fourth and third centuries BC and one from the sixth century BC consisting of, among other things, local pottery production and imports from the area of Egnazia. ...

The mound #7, rediscovered in an area that includes at least another hundred burial mounds, between the coasts of Pescoluse and Torre Pali, is an important archaeological discovery. It looks like a pile of stones on an area of ​​200 square meters in a trapezoidal plan. On the east side is a stone cist of a rectangular form that, in the moment of discovery, showed three vessels with incineration. A thick layer of ground separated these three burials from at least 50 other entombed individuals. In the area overlooking the stone cist, burned stones were found, all referable to a small altar where fire was ignited for ritual purposes. The monument seems bordered on the south side by a sort of wall consisted of an oblique row of large boulders about 14 m long and interrupted by the road. ...

On the south of Specchia, on the outskirts of the village, in "Verardo", near the "Falcone-Borsellino", Park you can visit an interesting archaeological area, made up of numerous cuts in the rocky outcrops of different characteristics and origins.   Four "pit” tombs were found in the area; the excavation was directly carried out in the bedrock outcropping and oriented from east to west. During the excavations, three resulted as previously violated in the modern age, but some findings show that they date back between late antiquity and medieval age. The fourth tomb kept the remains of eight individuals who died just some short intervals from one another as well as a considerable amount of other remains from previous burials.   The area is now part of ...

The Grotta Montani, located on the Spigolizzi hill, is characterized by two adjacent niches, one is completely closed by stones and the other is open through a small and low tunnel. It is a karst complex, which opens on an ancient shoreline, originally more vast and articulated than how it is presented today. It has a central room, from which four long and narrow tunnels diffuse. Found inside the cave were numerous objects, in flint and local limestone, used by the Neanderthal Man associated with the remains of elephants, rhinoceroses, hyenas, and wild boars. ...

The Grotta Febbraro, identified originally as Speculizzi III, at 72 meters above sea level, is constituted by a single corridor provided with an avangrotta or a cavern, for a total length of about 15 meters, a width of 3 meters and a height of 2 meters. The actual opening is slightly interned from its original location in a paleo cliff formed during the Upper Cretaceous period about 66 million years ago. The Grotta Marzo, identified as Speculizzi IV, situated at 74 meters above sea level, presents a rather small opening, protected by abundant vegetation. Some remains were found inside it such as: post-medieval pottery, animal bones that are relatively recent, and the remains of a dry stone wall that separates the main corridor, approximately 12 meters long, from a second passage ...

In the locality of Pescoluse - 600 meters east from the Dolmen Cosi and 40 meters south of the provincial road 91 (5 meters above sea level) – is the dolmen Argentina-Graziadei made up of an apogee cell with orthostats, irregularly shaped and of various sizes, resting on the rock outcropping and supporting a roof made of four large slabs. The entrance of the dolmen (0.6m of width and a height of0.8 meters) - facing west – permits the access to an underground structure through a short flight of three carved into the rock steps. The artificial cavity, of quadrangular form, and the whole apogee cell have the following dimensions: height and width of 1.5 m and a length of 2 meters. At the base of the small cave is an elliptical pit, hewn in bedrock (a depth of 1.15 m, ...

A section of Messapian walls and the remains of a necropolis from the same period were found during some excavations and preventive archeology carried out in the historic center of Ugento, near the Castello dei Principi d'Amore. Currently, these archaeological evidences are not visible because they are covered by the new roadway. ...

The Pivataro menhir is located on the outskirts of Tutino, in the middle of a road intersection. It stands on a high, stone-coated, circular base. Two overlapping fragments remained from the menhir, roughly repaired in the late 90's and marked by a visible score line. The total height is approximately 1.20 m. There is a cross engraved on both of its east and west sides. ...

Taking the Strada comunale Macchia di Ponente, incorporated into a recently built wall , is a menhir named after Principano, which is an ancient medieval farmhouse previously situated in this area.   The structure, of a parallelepiped shape, with a height of about 1.90 m and a section of 0.65x0.40 m, presents numerous crosses engraved on the front. The menhir is probably a part of a megalith of larger dimensions, not placed in its original position.   It is one of the many megaliths of Salento of the pre-Roman times, then Christianized through the incision of crosses. ...

The menhir, located at the intersection of three roads, is a stone structure of 170 cm high and a section of 70x50 cm. The megalith is situated at the end of a dry stone wall, in which a small chapel that gave it its name appears incorporated to it. The top of the menhir appears tapered to accommodate a stone base, probably a space designated for a cross.   The small chapel of the Spirito Santo, built in the seventeenth century, has a quadrangular structure with a simple facade and inside are two paintings depicting the Virgin Mary and St. Rocco. ...

The menhir della Croce, already cataloged by Cosimo De Giorgi at the beginning of 20th century, has been repeatedly demolished and replaced but is probably in its original position at the intersection of several roads, now protected by a stone fence .   It has a height of about 1.5 m and has three engraved crosses on the east side, while the other two are located on the west side. One of the crosses is hooked, the so-called Jerusalem cross. ...

The site, docking reference of the Vereto settlement, comprises a practical and safe docking for its much protected location from winds and abundant fresh water springs. Underwater, there are remains of a breakwater, obtained with the accumulation of stones in the area for a jetty of about 70 m, starting from the shore. The archaeological remains of the pier are visible at the base of the steep slope that leads to the creek.  It deals with two stretches of foundations and walkways serving the landing blocks in carparo.   The Messapic port underwent profound transformations in the Republican era, when in the second century BC, some service facilities were built. From the simple anchorage, it was turned into a landing facility. The port remained in use until the fourteenth ...

The Grotta della Trinità o dell'Eternità is located on the northwest of Serra that joins Casarano and Ruffano. The cave is privately owned and damaged by human intervention. It has a depth of more than 30 m, an irregularly triangular plan, a high vault and wide arc mouth facing west that light the surroundings especially during the afternoon. Some walls in proximity of the cave’s mouth are related to recent adjustments. ...

The rock settlement of Macurano extends on the sides of Serra of Alessano, about 550 m NNE of the ancient town of Montesardo, in an area now dotted with farms. The complex consists of 31 cavities, dug into the limy rocks; some relevant to the original core, the oldest, while the others are related to the latest arrangements and particularly to the fortified farms, whose construction has involved excavation of the cavities functional to the activities connected to them. The equipped area corresponds to the oldest part of the settlement. The most recurrent type is the unicellular cave with an elliptical or sub-circular plan, only once quadrangular, with a Lytic pillar leaning against the back wall. The entrances, of rectangular form, are often provided with steps linking the decking ...