Grotta della Poesia in Roca Vecchia, Italy

5:10 AM Europe , italy , Lecce , Nature Parks , Swimming Pools 0 Comments

Grotta della Poesia is located in Roca Vecchia, Italy. Its a cavity carved by the sea over the centuries, it has also offered shelter in ancient times. Roca Vecchia or Rocavecchia is a coastal town of Salento and one of the marinas of Melendugno, in the province of Lecce.

Its name comes from " posia ", a term of the Greek language of the Middle Ages which means" source of fresh water, "a clear reference to the source in the past flowed inside, the signs of which are still visible today.

The site of important archaeological excavations, is a major tourist center during the summer. There has been the watchtower century, the ruins of the castle overlooking the sea, the shrine of Our Lady of Roca seventeenth century. and two caves posia (from greek, "freshwater spring"), better known as the Caves of Poetry . The latter, in particular, which are about 60 meters apart, are karst caves which have collapsed the roofs; the sea water reaches in each of them through a channel passable swimming or on a small boat.

In many, however, especially the locals, they think that his name is linked to the famous legend passed down through generations, according to which a beautiful princess was used to bathe in its waters. When the news spread legions of poets went to this place to admire the beautiful princess and compose verses of poems in his honor. This would explain the name "cave of poetry."

Over the centuries, the cave has undergone structural changes caused by the sea that led to a series of collapses of itself. Despite everything, on its walls they were discovered signs stacked one on top of prehistoric figures and Messapian inscriptions that have survived the ravages of time. According to the findings reached in it, it thinks that even in the past had been a cave shrine of a deity called indigenous Taotor , whose name appears several times on the walls of the cave, even though the meaning of the signs is still under solution.

To admire what remains of the cave, we need to travel the stretch of coast that goes from Otranto to Roca through the tourist resorts of San Foca and Torre dell 'Orso .