Castro Marina and Zinzulusa cave
Author: VeronicaCastro Marina is situated on the 40th geographical parallel of the northern hemisphere, which in the nautical maps, by convention, represents the boundary between the southern Adriatic and the northern Ionian Seas .
Castro marina coast
Castro Marina is located along the coast extending from Otranto to Leuca and is known for the incomparable scenery of the Zinzulusa cave. Its origins date back to the Greeks and the Cretans. Throughout history, Castro has been dominated by various invaders, like Romans, Gothics and Byzantines. Castro’s main monuments are the Cathedral and the Castle.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral of Castro, with Latin cross, was built in 1171, probably on the ruins of a greek temple. It consists of a single nave with three small central apses. The continuing operations and reconstructions have significantly altered one of the finest monuments of Romanic architecture of Salento.
It consists of a front part, rebuilt several times until the replacement of its wooden roof in 1600, and a rear part, accessed through seven steps, formed by two chapels and the central altar.
The chapel on the left, almost destroyed in a remake of 1000, was raised by the family Gattinara, while the central altar was built in Baroque style by the bishops De Marco and Capreol, enriched by two canvases of various sizes depicting the Madonna Annunziata protector of the city.
The castle
The castle of Castro, was built in the thirteenth century on the ruins of a Byzantine building. In 1480, just as happened in Otranto, the city was invaded by the Turks and the castle was almost destroyed.
It was composed of an entrance protected by a moat and drawbridge, now removed. Entering in the castle there is a courtyard, used in the past for the storage of agricultural products that were sold, and a large staircase for accessing to upper floors. The courtyard give also access to the rooms. The room on the west overlooks the sea and has an outside access to the gardens below , while the room of the east, has been lost.
Today the Castle of Castro undergoes a series of works started in 1982.
The Zinzulusa cave
The Zinzulusa cave is one of the most interesting examples of this karst phenomenon in Salento area. It is located along the coast from Santa Cesarea Terme to Castro Marina, a coastline, really evocative for its landscape.
The name Zinzulusa derives from the presence within it of numerous stalactites and stalagmites that in the dialect of Salento are called “Zinzuli” namely rags as if they remind those particular tissues.
One of the first historical references to the Zinzulusa cave is present in a letter written by the Bishop of Castro, Monsignor Del Duca, who in 1793 provides to Ferdinand IV a detailed description of the karst cavity. About the birth of the cave and its bizarre sculpture, the prelate wanted also to recognize the columns of a temple dedicated to Minerva, erected as a tribute to the support given to Hercules in the clash with the Giants.
View of the cave
A real scientific study on the cave dates back to twentieth century, particularly since 1922 when an intensive work of collection and cataloging of plant and animal species found in the deeper parts of the cave was begun. Special interest was immediately aroused by the presence of species of crustaceans of very ancient origin and present only in this cavity.
The interest of the Zinzulusa cave not is limited to just biological aspect but also to the discovery of many remains of artifacts that appear to date back to Neolithic times until reaching the Paleolithic period and the Roman times.
The cave is divided into three parts:
1. The first part starts from the entrance and is characterized by great variety and number of stalactites and stalagmites. In this area you can find the presence of an area where a sweet and very clear water stagnates.
2. The cave continues with a large cavity called “The Cathedral” originated by an erosive phenomenon dated back to Cretacico period. The phenomenon of stalagmites began to attenuate.
3. At the end of the cave you find waters called “Cocito“, that is a stratification of waters, brackish and warm the lower ones, cold and sweets the higher ones.
In more recent periods Italian universities have made detailed studies through which unknown species of aquatic fauna have been discovered such as the Salentinella gracillima, the Stygiomysis hydruntina and the sponge troglobia.
All these species are characterized by their ancient origin and the peculiarity of being present only in these cavities with few rivals in the Mediterranean.
The Romanelli Cave
It is situated in a wide inlet at 8 meters above sea level, about 25 meters long and with a width of about 15. Discovered at the end of last century, it was the subject of research of many scholars, who have managed to climb to its age, around 11,930 years ago. Many are the figures on the walls of the cave, animal and human bodies from primitive forms.
The Azzurra Cave
It rises a few hundred meters from the Zinzulusa cave, reachable only by sea. Being able to visit the cave it’s a very beautiful experience because thanks to the refraction of light, water acquires a variable luminescence of green cobalt color.
Azzurra Cave
The Palombara Cave
It is a sea cave with high vaults, located, like the others, to the bottom of a broad coastal niche at the intersection of two major faults. In the local dialect is called “Palummara” for the presence of pigeons that nest in the crevices of its stones.
Coast between the caves
How to arrive there
By car: from Lecce take the road SS 16 towards Maglie, exit Santa Cesarea Terme – Castro.
By train: reach the railway station of Lecce. Then, you can take a bus of the local transport services STP Ferrovie del Sud-Est and Salentointrenoebus, working only during the summer.
By air: the nearest airport is Brindisi from where you can rent a car or use the shuttle service to Lecce, and then continue by bus.
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