According to tradition, Pietramontecorvino, a village not far from Lucera and the borders with Molise, was founded after the partial destruction of Monte Corvino in the first half of the XII century by Roger the Norman, when its population took refuge in the Preta caves. The most ancient neighbourhood of Pietramontecorvino, called Terra Vecchia, is a group of houses partly dug in tuff and partly based on it, with an outstanding monumental compound that includes the Duke’s Palace, the Norman-Angevin tower and the Mother Church. During the entire Middle Ages, the village was completely enclosed within a fortified wall with tower-houses. The city wall is almost totally absent today, but there is one single tower-house left. Access to the town was ensured through three doors: Porta Santa Caterina, the Portella and Porta Alta, only the third of them exists today, with a fine Gothic ogival arch. Proceeding through this door along the main street visitor can grasp the best views of the village: houses emerging from the rocks, today used as cellars and storage rooms, winding streets and steep stairs, communication arches between the houses.