Depending on their position in relation to the Alta Murgia or the Premurge, the vocation of the communities inhabiting this territory has been profoundly influenced by geological agents. Underground water, the presence of caves, canyons, clay soils and easily excavated calcarenites have shaped not only the landscape but also the cultural identity of these communities. Each area of the Aspiring Global Geopark has unique peculiarities related not only to history, but also to the different rock substrate and water composition that influence the flavor of foods, such as bread, oil, and wine, depending on the area.

Ancient techniques for preserving water resources, such as snow harvesting, provide an opportunity to explain and understand the climate changes affecting the area today. Education and affection for the land are key to creating a new vocation, one that takes up and modernizes the ancient agricultural and pastoral subsistence tradition and directs it toward sustainable farming and ranching.

In the twentieth century, the presence of precious rocks fueled an economic boom in Puglia, with minerals and stone being extracted and exported around the world. Over time, competition from foreign and often cheaper products brought a halt in mining activity, opening up new opportunities for the Aspiring Global Geopark, allowing, for example, the discovery of dinosaur footprints in several quarries (Cava Pontrelli stands out among them) and offering the possibility of transforming these sites into places of discovery, protection and enhancement of the territory.

The next step for Murgeopark will be to transform the quarries (as was done recently with the redevelopment of the Bauxite Mines), once the subject of waste dumping, into true open-air museums through community outreach and awareness activities.