Grotta della Poesia

The Grotta della Poesia is a karst sinkhole on the Adriatic shore where the roof of a sea cave collapsed, leaving a roughly circular pool about thirty metres across connected to the open sea by a tunnel, enclosed by low rock walls. Beside it, a smaller adjoining cave was a Messapian sanctuary in use from around the eleventh to the second century BC, its walls covered with hundreds of inscriptions in Messapian, Greek and Latin left by worshippers, one of the largest such collections in the Mediterranean. The ruins of Roca Vecchia, a fortified settlement, stand alongside. Access has been restricted at times to protect the site.

What you actually see

• The collapsed pool - a circular basin linked to the sea by a tunnel.
• The inscribed cave - hundreds of Messapian, Greek and Latin inscriptions.
• Roca Vecchia - the ruins of a fortified settlement beside it.
• The rock coast - low cliffs with swimming from ledges.

When to go

June to September for swimming; the site is crowded through the summer and access is periodically restricted or ticketed to control numbers. Check before travelling.

Honest expectations

Access has been restricted, ticketed or closed in different seasons for conservation. Jumping from the rocks is common but unsupervised and dangerous. The inscribed cave is fenced.

Nearby

Otranto lies south; Lecce is inland.