Piano delle fosse del grano

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Today the Piano delle Fosse del Grano (Cerignola) is made up of 625 pits, of which about 200 are still in use. The average capacity is 500 quintals and the pits occupy an area of 2.6 hm² near the city center, to the south.

Given their enormous historical value, since 1982 it has been protected by a bond issued by the Superintendency for Artistic, Archaeological and Historical Heritage of Puglia. The internal walls are covered with concrete in order to avoid direct contact of the product with the ground. Internally they are clad in stone like the floor or brick. The entrance touches the surface and is circular in shape.

The pit appeared on its exterior as a cavity in the ground with a diameter of 4.5 meters, and its opening was roughly crafted in stone to prevent potential water infiltration. On its exterior, there were also stone markers (cippi) on which the owner's initials and the pit number were carved. This, as easily understandable, served to help the person who owned the cavity locate it more easily.

Specifically, as it is still possible to admire today, through the 4.5-meter diameter, one could access the pit excavated in the ground, whose inner walls were initially painted with lime milk, eventually replaced by cement. The interior, on the other hand, is made of either stone or bricks.