when we think of canonNormally, the first image that comes to mind is that of famous places in the United States, but there are many places, even in Italy, that hide often unexpected beauties.
One of them is the splendid Puglia which, among its treasures, also houses a Canyon, a fascinating deposit of red earth in the heart of the Alta Murgia National Park: here is the Spinazzola bauxite quarry, a postcard destination that few people still know about.
A place with exotic charm, an extraordinary discovery
We are in Puglia, but here you have the feeling of being in a different place, as if from one moment to the next you were transported abroad: the Spinazzola bauxite quarry, with its charm and exotic color, tells the story of the territory and a wealth of inestimable value that, for years, was an important source of income for the region's economy.
Its discovery took place in 1935 when the accountant paolo Cappiello and the surveyor Luca Nanna, during an excursion near Spinazzola, are attracted by some reddish stones, very heavy.
Intrigued, they take a sample and send it for analysis to a specialized laboratory based in Genoa: it is bauxite, a particular rock, from which it is possible get aluminum, which is formed due to the alteration of limestone rocks caused by atmospheric agents. It contains various mineral species, including hydroxides and oxides, both iron and aluminum.
Thus, the decision to start a business with a permit arises exploration and exploitation of minerals of the area: it is the beginning of the profitable extractive activity of the quarry that will be active From 1950 1978 consolidating itself as one of the most important mineral deposits in Italy.
The extracted material, in its raw state, was transported by truck to the port of Trani to Porto Marghera, where the foundries transformed it into the finished product, aluminum.
With the arrival of the 80s, competition from material from Africa, which was purer and cheaper to work with, first caused a decrease in activity in the Apulian quarries and, shortly after, their definitive closure.
The cavity, however, was not covered and today offers a unique view of its kind with the crater about fifty meters deep where pink, red, orange and many other color tones mix in harmony, recreating the atmosphere of the most famous Canyons.
In fact, today the Spinazzola quarry seems a wide reddish valley that suddenly opens between the steep rock walls: photography lovers will be able to take unforgettable images and trekking and hiking lovers will be able to enjoy relaxing walks along the trails with views that are difficult to describe in words.
We are in a reality outside of time, far from the noise of everyday life, where we can remain in contemplation.
How to get to the Spinazzola bauxite quarry
The suggestive Apulian Canyon, together with the equally fascinating Bauxite Quarry of Otranto, is a destination that is still little known but that it's really worth visiting.
It is located along the road between Spinazzola and Andria, not far from the medieval castle of Garagnone: traveling about ten kilometers along the SP 230 from the town of Spinazzola, continue towards the SP 138 towards Andria.
Four kilometers before the intersection, a dirt road opens to the right of the road: take it and, after a grove of trees, the incomparable landscape of the red quarries opens up.
