Rupestrian Crypt "Farmacia del mago Greguro"

Along the Gravina della Madonna della Scala, it is an extraordinary complex of twelve interconnected caves, all carved into the rocky outcrop, taking the evocative name of Farmacia del Mago Greguro, after the legendary healer of Massafra, active around the year 1000.\n\nDuring the early Middle Ages, the complex had been used as a monastery, later abandoned and used as a dovecote, according to some hypotheses, or as an underground sanctuary, according to other sources.\n\nInside, the space is divided into pits, channels, drying racks, workbenches, skylights, niches, but what strikes the visitor most is the dense network of loculi carved into the walls, like a giant shelving system, which has traditionally been identified as the sorcerer's pharmacy Greguro who, with his daughter Margheritella, used to gather and collect medicinal herbs and shrubs.