This important Neolithic site is situated in the contrada of Santa Barbara, in the territory of Poliganano a Mare. It lies on the second sub-coastal rise (circa 60 m a.s.l.) at 1.5 km from the coast. The archaeological site, investigated in the mid 1970s, saw two occupation periods. The first period (6th-5th millennium B.C.), saw the construction of a village, enclosed in certain sectors by a ditch which is exceptional for central Apulia, and was characterized by huts of which the post holes remain. Archaeological investigations were recently extended to the plateau enclosed by stretches of ditch where hut post holes were excavated in several places. This led to a new change in the research aims, which in this case involved the archaic occupation, preceding the opening of the hypogea.

The same programme investigated the trenches-ditch (in particular on the north-eastern side), which dated to the same period. At that time the community practiced primitive agriculture and raised animals in pens, as well as collateral and occasional activities, for example hunting and craft-working for the production of pottery and implements for daily use. In the second occupation period (mid 4th millennium B.C.) a new generation of farmers had settled at Santa Barbara. They showed a strong propensity for selective hunting and pottery production. They created artificial hypogea, with complex structures and usually with the entrances at the bottom of the ditches. The ipogeo Manfredi, which was the object of more detailed research, is the most visible example. The radiometric dating for the structure is 3670±130 B.C. (BM 2257) e 4170±170 B.C. (BM 2256), where BM stands for British Museum. In the southern stretch of ditch a fill was identified on top of which were three small tumuli containing skeletal remains in a fetal position.