The ancient  Carleo Street which runs alongside La Millenaria allows you to reach the archaeological site of Roca Vecchia, a UNESCO heritage site and home to the Grotta della Poesia, in just over five minutes by car, ten by bicycle. The name of La Poesia Cave derives from the Greek Posia “fresh water source” which also contains the meanings of “rebirth” and “purification”. The caves are located in the archaeological site, thousands of tourists from all over the world visit them every year.
Everyone knows them as one of the most beautiful natural pools in the world, in truth they are very ancient places with a mysterious charm. The walls of the smaller of the two karst caves tell the story, in fact in 1983 a scholar found on them sacred inscriptions from the Messapian era dating back, it seems, to more than 2500 years ago. In fact, it seems that the cave was a place of worship dedicated to the God Taotor (or even Tator, Teotor, or Tootor).
Not only!
From the excavations carried out in Roca Vecchia which extends next to the caves of La Poesia, an imposing fortified complex dating back to the Bronze Age has emerged. Remains (utensils, ceramics, pottery) which by familiarity recall those used in Mycenae and in the Aegean Sea, so much so that many believe that Virgil wanted to land Aeneas in these very places.
A city repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt Roca Vecchia of which the founding fathers are still unknown today. In the Middle Ages, monks from the East frequented and inhabited the caves dug into the karst rock and used other places of worship and defense in the Melendugno area, including Masseria La Millenaria.
Then, the Saracens arrived.
At the beginning of the 14th century, with the spread of fortified buildings to protect themselves from pirates and the Turks, many buildings in the area near Roca Vecchia such as La Millenaria were also fortified. With the invasion, the Turks ended up using Roca Vecchia as a military base and with it also our Masseria, from whose highest point it is possible to see in the distance on clear sunny days, those arriving from the coast.
The archive that would have told us more about our beautiful and ancient farmhouse La Millenaria also close to Otranto was stolen during the Turkish invasion. The papers and the story were in fact kept in the Idruntino archicoenobium, unfortunately destroyed.
Monks, ladies and knights on their journeys from West to East followed one another in the rooms of La Millenaria, which is located along a passage road towards the sea that leads to the East. The Masseria has certainly hosted different cultures, languages and customs in different eras, as indeed it continues to do today, albeit in a new guise.