The Zinzulusa Cave is the most important cave in Salento, as well as being the most visited with thousands of tourists who decide to undertake this wonderful experience every year. The Zinzulusa Cave is located along the southeastern coast of Salento, specifically between the marina of Castro and Santa Cesarea Terme, and overlooks the Adriatic Sea. We are talking about one of the most fascinating stretches of coastline in Salento, here where the surrounding landscape blends with the beauty of nature trails, a crystal clear blue sea and a whole tourism organization that has been proven for years. These are the areas where the most renowned discos of the Salento coast are located, Castro is a shining gem set among these suggestive cliffs as well as Santa Cesarea Terme represents a destination above all for thermal tourism thanks to the chlorinated, sulfurous and iodine waters of the various springs in this territory. Thus, we are about to describe a stretch of coastline that has almost magical and fairy-tale qualities in revealing itself as an undisputed area of beauty and charm; and the Grotta della Zinzulusa fits masterfully into this context, representing one of the most famous anchialine (i.e., near the sea) caves in southern Italy. The formation of the cave, which occurred by marine erosion can be traced back to the Pliocene period, and its discovery dates back to 1793, although the first studies began in the 1950s with its opening to the public in 1957. The Grotta della Zinzulusa already sees the presence of stalactites and stalagmites from its entrance, and it is to this characteristic that it owes its name, from the local dialect zinzuli which means rags, and the whole environment looks precisely like rags hanging on the walls. The Cave of the Zinzulusa is a true miracle of nature that over the centuries has been able to give life to a rock formation of such beauty; words are wasted and do not render the idea of the magnificence of this cave, the only valid alternative is to visit it live and be attracted and engulfed by the emotions that the Cave of the Zinzulusa manages to give. The visit to the cave lasts about thirty minutes for a path about 150 meters long, the ticket costs 6 euros for adults and 3 euros for children over 11 years old. The cave can also be reached by boat with several organized excursions. Have fun and happy summer from the Zinzulusa Cave.
Last Updated: 08/12/2022, Tonio Viva
