Puglia is immersed in ancient history and is a pot-pourri of
many different cultures having been continuously invaded and
conquered, absorbing something from every event. Even now the
locals speak more "dialetto" than italian, every town apparently
having its own dialect. As many as 4000 dinosaur footprints,
believed to have been from five dinosaur species, have been
discovered in the De Lucia quarry, near Altamura. Altamura also
boasts the remains of early man, the Man of Altamura, believed
to be 150,000 years old and found in the cave of Lamalunga.
Altamura is, in fact, an important archaeological area. The
National Archaeological Museum of Altamura hosts a wealth of
findings dating from the early Bronze Age to the late
Hellenistic age. Around 7000BC, Puglia was inhabited by the
Messapians, people from the Balkans, settled in the Salento area
and around Foggia. In the olive groves, close to Torchiarolo,
the archaeological remains of Valesio, a Messapian inhabited
area can be found with evidence of habitatio