Protection · Responsible travel
A heritage to protect
Why you can no longer swim in the Grotta della Poesia, what changed in 2026 and how to visit without helping wear it away.
A fragile place
The Grotta della Poesia is made of calcarenite, a soft rock the sea has been carving for millennia: that is how the two pools formed, when the roofs of the caves collapsed. The same fragility is now a risk. The walls erode, edges can give way, and the footsteps of thousands of visitors every summer wear down the surface where inscriptions more than two thousand years old are carved.
A few years ago the cave was almost unknown. When photos of “the world’s most beautiful natural pool” went viral, visitor numbers exploded: jumps from the edge, people on the inscribed walls, litter. Hence today’s rules, which make the visit different, and better.
The rules
- No swimming or diving in the Poesia Grande or the Poesia Piccola, because of the risk of rockfalls and to protect the site
- No entering the tunnels or climbing down the walls: the caves are viewed from above along the marked path
- Ticket required since 18 July 2026 (€5 standard), funding management, conservation and enhancement of the site
- Guided visits and a virtual reality experience to “enter” where you physically can’t
The site is run by the Municipality of Melendugno with ArtWork Società Cooperativa Sociale, in a 15-year renewable partnership with the University of Salento and the Soprintendenza. Official information at archeoroca.it.
The Poesia Piccola, an archive in stone
The inner cave is no ordinary pool: its walls hold carvings from prehistory onwards and hundreds of Messapic, Latin and Greek inscriptions, discovered in 1983 by archaeologist Cosimo Pagliara of the University of Lecce. They are dedications to Taotor, the god worshipped here between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC.
Scaffolding with a ladder was installed to study them, and it has become a problem in its own right: the heritage authority in Lecce is planning to remove the iron ladder, which damages the cave, and find another way in. Meanwhile the DigiRock project has created a laser-scanned digital twin that lets researchers study the walls without touching them. Full story in History & excavations.
How to visit the right way
- Stay on the path and away from the edges, even for a photo
- Don’t touch the walls or carve anything: every new mark damages the ancient ones
- Come early or late: at 9am or late afternoon there are fewer people and the light is better
- Take everything back with you, cigarette ends and bottles included
- Arrive by bike or bus: fewer cars on the coast road, less chaos in the car parks
- Choose the guided visit: you’ll understand what you’re looking at, and your ticket supports conservation
For a swim, the beaches of San Foca and Torre dell’Orso are minutes away. The Grotta della Poesia is for looking at: that’s how it will reach the next generation intact.
Get there by bike, at your own pace
ApuliaOutdoor is based in Melendugno, a few kilometres from the cave: we deliver bikes and e-bikes to your accommodation and give you the GPX track for a ride along the coast.
- Free delivery between Melendugno, Lecce and Otranto
- Scott e-bikes and premium bikes, helmet and lock included
- Local expert to plan the route, stops and tastings
Keep exploring Roca
In-depth guides for travellers who want to understand the place, not just photograph it.
History & excavations
From the 1983 discovery to the Bronze Age walls: who studied the cave and what they found.
Roca Vecchia
Three thousand years on a headland: the Bronze Age fortress, the Messapians, the medieval town.
Taotor, the god of the cave
The Messapian deity invoked on the walls of the Poesia Piccola.