It is widely known that there were rock settlements in Massafra which developed between the 8th and the 14th centuries. It was during this era that religious persecution and foreign invasion of many of the towns that residents and nearby villages moved into the countryside. There they established their homes, places of worship and cemeteries in the newly excavated caves. The archaeological excavations in Massafra are of considerable interest, including St. Michael’s Grotto, situated North of Masseria di Varcaturo.
