The Porcinara Cave is perhaps the best known of the caves found along the entire coast of Santa Maria di Leuca; built by man as a place of pagan worship this example of a cave bears witness to the very history of Leuca, a land that has seen different cultures cross over the centuries in a mixture of mutual respect, and that has represented a safe harbor to the many sailors for millennia. The Porcinara Cave is located along a small promontory, about 60 meters from the sea, and can be accessed via a small path from the mainland. Currently the cave is closed with iron grates and to visit it one must make an explicit request to the municipality; the entrance has two mouths that give access to three different rooms, inside which pre-Christian epigraphs have been discovered of thanksgiving for making a safe voyage or of prayers urging comfort before facing a long journey. Some archaeological research by the University of Salento has revealed the presence of an area within the cave used for the worship of pagan-religious rites. From a landscape point of view, the Porcinara Cave represents only one of the many naturalistic beauties of the Leuca area; the wide cliffs that are interspersed with small paths through the green of the typical Mediterranean scrubland frame a crystal blue sea. The wonderful seabed is ideal for those who love diving so as to go in search of the most hidden ravines while also admiring the beautiful plays of light that are produced between the cracks of the different inlets; have a good summer from Grotta della Porcinara.
Last Updated: 26/03/2023, Tonio Viva
