The formation of the Vulture area can be traced back to an intense and repeated seismic event that took place around 5 million years ago, during the Cenozoic era, and was due to the movement of two enormous plates on the Earth's surface—the African and the Eurasian—which collided along the eastern strip of the southern pre-Apennines.

Originally, Vulture was a volcanoformed between 800,000 and 750,000 years ago:During these initial phases, the magma rose up through several hundred metres of sedimentary terrain, the last of which was of Pliocene marine origin, and produced enough thrust to lift the rocky substratum to an altitude of around 700 metres.

Immersed in the greenery of the protected natural area, visitors can explore the Monticchio Lakes, located on the south-western slope of Mount Vulture. The two lakes, Lago Grande and Lago Piccolo, are situated in the crater mouths of the ancient volcano.

The outer slopes of the Vulture have a typical succession of vegetation forms, mainly influenced by altitude. Up to an altitude of 600-700 metres, the slopes are home to cereal fields, vineyards and olive groves. Higher up, chestnut trees prevail, giving way to oak and then beech trees only above 900-950 metres.

The complexity and uniqueness of the natural environments of the Parco del Vulture have enabled the survival of a rich and diverse fauna, which includes many protected species.

Historically, the origins of the Vulture area are very ancient: the area was already inhabited in the Neolithic period, as evidenced by the remains of a necropolis found near Rapolla. The first real civilisations settled in the area between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. These were the Daunians, followed by the Samnites (4th-3rd centuries BC). Numerous traces of the presence of pre-Roman civilisations are displayed in the Melfese National Archaeological Museum.

The pre-Roman and Roman archaeological complex of Torre degli Embrici is an archaeological complex that is divided between the municipalities of Rionero in Vulture and Atella. The archaeological site was discovered in 2004, and researchers from the universities of Alberta, Sydney and Ben Gurion of the Negev were involved in the excavations. The archaeological site was discovered in 2004, and researchers from the universities of Alberta, Sydney and Ben Gurion of the Negev were involved in the excavations.

Located in the castle of Melfi, the museum is home to archaeological findings from the Vulture area concerning the indigenous peoples of prehistoric times, the Daunian, Samnite, Roman, Byzantine and Norman periods. Inaugurated in 1976, it is arranged in three rooms on the ground floor of the Castle.

The Palaeolithic site of Atella, identified in the early 1990s, is situated near the modern municipal cemetery. The stratigraphy of the site revealed its location on the banks of a lake, which no longer exists, created during the formation of the Vulture volcanic complex.

A picturesque path leads through the dense woods to the convent, which, perched on the Vulture caldera, overlooks Lago Piccolo, offering a pleasant contrast to the surrounding nature.

It was built by the Franciscans starting in the 17th century on a much older site. It incorporates the Basilian lavras, and in particular the Great Cave carved into the tuff and dedicated to the archangel Michael. Votive deposits dating back to the 4th-3rd centuries BC have been discovered nearby.

The Museo di Storia Naturale del Vulture (Vulture Museum of Natural History) occupies the first three levels of the Convent dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel on Lago Piccolo. It chronicles the 750,000-year history of the Vulture, a volcano formed in the Pleistocene era, which has been dormant for about 130,000 years.