Town rocks

Although famous for its cave homes, most of the post-medievil townsfolk preferred to build normal stone houses. These they blended with the rocks to make numerous photo-opportunities. Most of the churches are dug into the rock though and contain frescoes in various states of decay but all with the same story.

I always thought the Mediterranean pseudo-steppe was a derivative of the Tarantala and popular at dance parties. Now I find that it is the type of vegitation covering the park from which I took various shots. It seems that soil, fire and goats have so trimmed the original bush over millenia that only hardy, grasses and shrubs survive.
One advantage of a desolate landscape is that it is one remaining safe haven for the endangered Grilled Falcon, (in Italian falco grillaio, Latin Falco naumanni) and the rare capovacchio which I think is a Merlin in English, (Falco columbarius,) the smallest raptor in Europe. Alas, to small and fast for my lense.Read more