Washed by two seas, Salento has a very long coastline with stretches of golden beaches and sheer cliffs. Here the soft rock has created countless caves that the sea has sculpted, making the reflections in the water a magic of nuances in the perennial play of light and shadow.
Let us start with…
The Grotta della Poesia (The Cave of Poetry)
In the marina of San Foca on the Adriatic side, there is a cave without a roof, becoming a natural pool of rare beauty: the famous Grotta della Poesia.
The Grotta dei Cervi (Deer Cave)
Located in Porto Badisco, it is very important archaeological site, so valuable for its rock drawings that it is closed to the public so as not to ruin the graffiti, fortunately it will soon be possible to visit it virtually in 3D.
Descending southwards, we cannot overlook the Grotta Romanelli, an important evidence of the Palaeolithic period and its remains.
The Grotta Azzurra (Blue Cave)
It can be visited by sea, in Castro. Its name is given by the reflections that, with the sun, invest the entire interior, exploding with the colour of the sky.
The Grotta della Zinzulusa (Zinzulusa Cave)
It is perhaps the best known of the Salento, and is accessible by land. It owes its name to the stalactites that hang like rags in the wind, in Salento Zinzili gave it this appellation. It is 300 metres long and really worth a visit.
Descending further and further towards Santa Maria Di Leuca, the high cliffs hide a myriad of caves with bizarre shapes and unique colours.
Near the Ponte del Ciolo, a few steps from Santa Maria di Leuca, we can admire the Grotte delle Cipolliane, which can be reached by following the Cipolliane path, an ancient path where the green of the Mediterranean scrub merges with the deep blue of the sea.
Once you get to Santa Maria di Leuca and hire a boat to visit the caves, you will be amazed at the number of caves that this last strip of land has to offer; let us focus on them as well:
Grotta delle Mannute
This cavity is located on a high cliff near the Leuca Lighthouse and takes its name from the breast-shaped concretions that the southern Salento dialect calls Minne from which Mannute.
Grotta del Soffio
Not far away, nature amazes us once again, with the Grotta del Soffio (Cave of the Breath), a small cavity with a dome-shaped interior, which means that when a wave arrives, the cave sends it back puffing as if it were animated; the continuous puffing has earned it the name Grotta del Soffio.
Grotta del Diavolo
Doubling Capo Santa Maria di Leuca near Punta Ristola we find the Grotta del Diavolo (Devil’s Cave), so called because of the strange noise that the waves make as they break inside it.
Grotta della Porcinara
Not far away, the Grotta della Porcinara reveals the secrets of Leuca’s first inhabitants with the Roman and Messapic civilisations.
Grotta delle Tre Porte
Further on, navigation takes us to the Marina di San Gregorio, where we discover that nature has placed three caves side by side, Le Tre Porte, unique in their kind.
Grotte di Porto Selvaggio
Continuing our walk on the waves, we pass beaches and clearings of genuine beauty as we land at the caves of Porto Selvaggio.
Grotta del Cavallo
The Grotta del Cavallo (Horse Cave) near Santa Caterina is an important document of the social life that was already organised in the Neolithic period by uniting different tribes.
Grotta di Aluzzo and Grotta Capelvenere
We mention the Grotta di Aluzzo, which gives its name to the prehistoric Uluzziana civilisation, and the Grotta Capelvenere for the numerous ferns that adorn its entrance.
Many ravines holes and fjords have been deliberately omitted, leaving you with the unknown of discovery and forcing you in your innermost imagination to impose a name on those figures that, looking at them from the sea, flow like a film from another era, making a piece of this incredible Salento your own.
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