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Cave
of Zinzilusa
LA
GROTTA DI ZINZULUSA (ZINZULUSA CAVE)
The cave was called Zinzulusa because the stalactite
hanging above its entrance look like pieces of
cloth (in the local dialect "zinzuli"
mean "rags").
The cave, which is less than one kilometre far
from the small village of Castro, attracts many
tourists. In 1793 Monsignor Del Duca discovered
the cave: he was amazed at those wonderful natural
"sculptures" created by the sea erosion;
he thought that Minerva's temple, which was built
according to the mythology by Hercules as an offer
to the godness in order to thank her for her help
against the Giants, was just inside that cave. |
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(Zinzilusa cave)
Apulia |
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You
can enter the cave not only by sea but also
by land thanks to a pathway along the side
of the coast slope. Zinzulusa cave is 150
metres long and on account of recent researches
it is thought that it has got further deep
ramifications.
The cave's Atrio (Hall) is formed by a cliff
which is at about 30 metres above the sea
level. Going on from the Atrio to the bottom
of the cave you get to the Vestibolo (Vestibule).
From the Vestibolo through a 8-metre high
mainstair you get to the Conca (Hollow),
an ellyptic-base cave whose northern part
ends in a small lake, which is about 100
qm wide and 5 metres deep.
The longest area of Zinzulusa cave is called
"Corridor of wonderful things"
thanks to the wonderful calcareous concretions
ornating its walls. Along the corridor you
can see many stalagmite.
The ending part of the Corridor is formed
by the Crypt, a small cave, rich in calcareous
columns, which gets to the Duomo. It is
a 25-metre high cave that has been formed
by underground waters among the walls of
tufa rock. |
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hotels |
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