The most prominent wine-producing towns of the Upper Salento have created the Negroamaro Park, dedicated to this grape typical of the entire Salento and grown almost exclusively in Apulia. The name itself leaves no doubt as to the identity of this purple-black grape: Negroamaro means "blackblack", deriving from niger in Latin and maru in Greek, and is also closely connected to the local dialect: niuru maru evokes both the blackness of the grapes and the bitter taste of the wine. It is fairly common to find this grape used alone, producing dark wines with an intense flavour. This is a fundamental variety in the doc production of this area, contributing to some great red wines and also some extraordinary rosés – a feature of the entire Salento area. Negroamaro is very often blended with Malvasia Nera di Brindisi e Lecce, which is another variety strongly identified with the “Heel” of Italy. This area – best known for its rocky Adriatic scenery, sandy Ionian beaches, and the wonderful baroque architecture of Lecce and Galatina – has also an incredible number of historic fortified farms and country manor houses which are evidence of a centuries-old tradition of farming the land.