The city of Laterza The settlement was founded right on the edge of the canyon at an altitude of 340 metres above sea level. The original buildings were probably constructed above remains of cave-dwelling civilisations, as witnessed by sanctuaries, the numerous dwellings and caves in the old town centre and the surroundings. The territory was inhabited even as far back as the Eneolithic Age; a number of excavations have brought to light what has been called “Laterza’s Eneolithic civilisation” which is thought to have derived from various parts of the Aegean. The first signs of culture are attributed to the Peucetians, a tribe with a penchant for making ceramics with geometric designs, which went on until the later Apulian period. There are also several relics from Magna Graecia and Roman times, now found in the Archaeological Museums in Matera and Taranto.
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PALAZZO MARCHESALE The construction of Palazzo Marchesale probably dates back to 1393, the date on an inscription on a capital at the main gate. A stretch of the ancient moat and crenellated walls surrounding the old
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