Santa Maria di Leuca
Santa Maria di Leuca, pearl of the extreme edge of Italy, where the white and bare rocks divide and mix the Ionian to the Adriatic Sea in waters with many shades of blue. The name Leuca was attributed to it by the ancient Greek sailors who, seeing this place illuminated by the sun, decided to name it leukos, that is, white.
The town lies in a stretch of coast alternated by cliffs and small sandy coves. The numerous caves that decorate the entire coast such as the Grotta delle Cazzafre, the Grotta del Brigante, Montelungo, Ciolo to the East and the Grotta delle tre porte, the Grotta del Fiume, the Lovers and the Stalla a Ponente, are of great historical and naturalistic interest while, the seabed is a real paradise for underwater tourism.
The most famous cave is that of Porcinara which in ancient times served as a temple to worship different gods. Another cave of extraordinary charm is the Grotta del Drago, so called probably for its great opening of about forty meters and about sixty deep. Of great importance, both from an artistic and archaeological and paleontological point of view, is the Grotta dei Giganti.
