Pulicchio di Gravina, Natural doline in Altamura, Italy.
Pulicchio di Gravina is a natural doline in Altamura with a length of about 530 meters (1,740 feet) and width of about 400 meters (1,310 feet), dropping to a depth of about 87 meters (285 feet). The walls slope uniformly inward on all sides, creating a distinctive bowl-shaped cavity in the landscape.
Scientific study of this geological formation began in 1917 when geologist Carmelo Colamonico conducted detailed research into its structure and how it formed. His work established the foundation for understanding this natural cavity in the Murge landscape.
Local residents have called these natural depressions "pullo" for centuries as they scattered across the Murge plateau. The term reflects how deeply these geological features have shaped the region's everyday vocabulary and connection to the land.
Access to the site follows a gravel path about 1.7 kilometers long that starts from the SP238 road between Altamura and Corato. The trail circles the rim, allowing visitors to view the formation from different angles as they walk.
A forest was planted around the doline during the 1950s, which now hosts rare plant species found nowhere else locally. This wooded area has become an unexpected sanctuary for plants adapted to the steep slopes.
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