SALENTOMEGALITIC
GIUGGIANELLO - THE LAND OF PUGLIA'S MEGALITHS
Dolmen e Menhir
Dolmen Quattromacine
Located on municipal agricultural land in the municipality of Giuggianello, bordering Giurdignano, it was discovered in 1893. The covering slab, which rests on two orthostats and a series of blocks, features a small channel along its perimeter, suggesting that the dolmen was used not only as a collective tomb but also as a sacrificial altar. Around the monument, a series of cup marks can be observed, likely used for collecting water or purifying bronze.
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Dolmen Ore
Discovered by Luigi Corsini in 1979 near the Quattromacine farm, it features an irregular quadrangular covering slab, approximately 25 centimeters thick, supported by three orthostats—one monolithic and two made of overlapping stones—resting on a bed of homogeneous rock outcropping.
Menhir Polisano
The 3.5-meter-tall monolith, examined and described by Cosimo De Giorgi in 1888, was demolished by unknown assailants in 1977 and recovered by the Cultural Center. The menhir has a hollow at its summit, a sign of its Christianization.
De Giorgi himself mentions another menhir, which Luigi Maggiulli had seen before 1860, a few steps away, which was subsequently destroyed.
Menhir Crocecaduta
It was discovered by the Cultural Center in 1979 and takes its name from the toponym of the countryside where it stands.
Located in the ancient fiefdom of the medieval hamlet of Quattromacine, it is 4 meters long and currently lies on the ground behind a dry stone wall. At the top is a hollow containing a cross erected for its Christianization.
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Stone giants in the myth of Hercules
Giuggianello, the land of monoliths, around which the original culture of Salento was forged, one of humble people who worshipped the god of nature, venerated around these enormous blocks of stone.
One of these is the so-called "Furticiddhu te la vecchia," a single circular, lenticular stone block set on a base of considerable perimeter.
The characteristic mushroom shape, complete with cap and stem, created over the centuries is the result of erosion by runoff water and atmospheric agents.
The medieval name recalls the washer of the wooden tool (the spindle) used to spin wool by hand.
Divided by a dry stone wall is another enormous boulder shaped like a large bed known as "Lettu te la vecchia" (old woman's bed).
A single stone block featuring two cup marks carved into the rock on its surface, and two recesses on the east and west sides, thought to have served, respectively, to present newborns to the tribe and to place the deceased during the funeral rite.
These monolithic monuments have also become part of popular culture, which associates them with the Old Woman, the "Striara" (witch), wife of "Nanni Orcu" (the child-eating giant).
According to another legend, however, anyone who dreamed of the Madonna urging him to visit "Lu lettu" could attempt to lift the boulder with his finger. If he succeeded, he would find the "acchiatura" (a snail with seven golden chicks).
Aristotle, in his "De mirabilibus auscultationibus," tells of a battle between Hercules and the giants.
The astonishing strength of Hercules remained imprinted over the centuries on an enormous boulder crushed by his foot, which inevitably took his imprint and name.
 Massi della Vecchia - panorama |  Furticiddhu de la Vecchia |  piede d'ercole |  massi |  Lettu de la vecchia |
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THE PULCI AND MADONNA DELLA SERRA CAVES
The "Pulci" and "Madonna della Serra" caves are located in Giuggianello, not far from the Messapian Tower. Human skeletons, domesticated animals, and several perfectly preserved Neolithic vessels were discovered inside. Obviously, for both safety and preservation reasons, they are not accessible.
First explored in 1971 by speleologists Isidoro Mattioli, Severino Alberini, and Remo Mazzotta of the Salento Speleological Group "P. De Lorentiis" of Maglie, they immediately gained recognition for their archaeological and naturalistic importance.
Professor Luciano Graziosi and Professor Mara Guerri of the University of Florence declared in a January 2002 article in the "Nuovo Quotidiano di Lecce" that these caves represent a true prehistoric sanctuary, "one of the greatest testimonies of Neolithic culture in the world."
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