Grotta della Capra

Grotta della Capra is a natural cavity in the Alta Murgia near Altamura. Unlike the nearby Grotta di Lamalunga, which preserves the Neanderthal skeleton, this cave gives a direct view of the karst landscape that shapes the plateau.

Why it matters

The cave is presented as a place to understand the geology of the Alta Murgia. Its relationship to Lamalunga helps explain the broader landscape: water gradually dissolves limestone and calcarenite, creating the chambers and conduits characteristic of the plateau.

What to notice

The cave offers a close view of the rock and the forms created by water in carbonate stone. Around the entrance, open grass-and-stone steppe, dry-stone walls and masserie place the cavity within a pastoral landscape that has also provided shelter to human communities over long periods.

Context and history

Grotta della Capra belongs to the karst system of the Alta Murgia, where rainwater has hollowed cavities in Cretaceous-era carbonate rock over millions of years. The nearby Pulo di Altamura preserves traces of Paleolithic use, and Grotta di Lamalunga is known for the Neanderthal skeleton found in 1993. The cave itself is presented as a geological site rather than an archaeological showcase, connecting the local karst landscape with the wider network of protected natural and archaeological sites around Altamura.