Zinzulusa Cave (Lecce, Italy)

ENG Good evening Hivers, and welcome back to my blog. Today I bring you with me to discover the beautiful **Zinzulusa Cave**, located in the province of Lecce, in the Puglia region of Italy. It’s one of the most **important karst caves** in Europe, home to fossils of animals such as **hippos, penguins, bears, deer, felines, and birds**. This biodiversity testifies to its extreme antiquity; it has existed since the **Pliocene** Epoch. Over the centuries, very different climates have allowed the development of so many animal populations.

ITA Buonasera Hivers e bentornati sul mio Blog, Oggi vi porto con me a scoprire la bellissima **Grotta Zinzulusa**, che si trova in provincia di Lecce, nella regione Puglia. Si tratta di una delle più **importanti grotte carsiche** d’Europa e al suo interno ospita fossili di animali come **ippopotami, pinguini, orsi, cervi, felini e uccelli**. Questa biodiversità testimonia la sua estrema antichità, infatti esiste dall’epoca del **Pliocene**. Nel corso dei secoli si sono susseguiti climi molto diversi che hanno permesso lo svilupparsi di così tante popolazioni di animali.

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The Zinzulusa Cave was discovered in 1793, but was only opened to the public in 1957. Many studies are currently underway, as scientists have discovered **numerous unexplored basins and underground passages**. Some **writings** can be seen on the walls of the cave, reflecting the hard work of workers who once cleaned it and wanted to leave traces of their passage. They didn't know that the walls would make their names forever indelible!

La grotta Zinzulusa venne scoperta nel 1793, ma diventò visitabile solamente nel 1957. Attualmente ci sono ancora molti studi in corso, perché gli scienziati hanno trovato **numerosi bacini e collegamenti sotterranei inesplorati**. Nella grotta si possono osservare alcune **scritte** alle pareti, perché in passato alcuni operai lavorarono duramente all’interno della grotta per ripulirla e vollero lasciare il segno del loro passaggio. Non sapevano che le pareti avrebbero reso indelebile per sempre i loro nomi!

![hive dividers-02.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/23swpjp3K9usTpjZpcGEgSWJyy64LDu48Kiqqpo9XdwH4KrnjbgAnNc1kSKsUhn568CLw.png) ![278h.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EopsxJdTmZV3844yw2wnSukmcshHqP534QS6fGsQkXVm5znLiheqr97VoPJmxK8sHtd.jpg) ![278e.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EorxyFNqn9LQbW2QR8DnZLsKbCWUAbBwoHo8boL2MDFhvwiWbfdBfULQuh9PcUXp2e6.jpg) ![278m.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EqqsvskW2k4yq1fEQyVv2Qw9Zhe6JANdBgwkJ2GeaAcPc2QZZf8dKrVHMVFw15KbE8D.jpg)

The waters present extremely **unique and delicate conditions**, which have allowed the proliferation of some previously unknown and completely **native aquatic fauna species** (they exist only inside that cave!). The guide told us, for example, about a completely **albino crustacean species**. There's also a very **white crab**, the last surviving variety of a species that became extinct over 200,000 years ago!

Le acque presentano delle **condizioni estremamente particolari e delicate**, che hanno permesso la proliferazione di alcune specie di **fauna acquatica finora sconosciute e completamente autoctone** (esistono solo all’interno di quella grotta!). La guida ci ha raccontato, per esempio, di una specie di **crostaceo completamente albina**. È anche presente un **granchio bianchissimo**, l’ultima varietà esistente di una specie che si è estinta più di 200.000 anni fa!

![hive dividers-02.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/23swpjp3K9usTpjZpcGEgSWJyy64LDu48Kiqqpo9XdwH4KrnjbgAnNc1kSKsUhn568CLw.png) ![278l.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EoXrkyK9pBEBj3eiDpue9byduxKQ9cT3tapZVn12CjMjfu2wzVdAnZo7jceCqFFhGkg.jpg) ![278d.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EprU1m4pYKUjFJu5APzVDBuhdTD7RaWXp7PySxifcY4eAapFyvUy1R5ccFjaSnYRCwC.jpg)

Next to the cave, a **seawater pool** has been created, nestled in a fairytale landscape among the rocks. This pool has the unique feature of having **direct access to the sea**, for the bravest who want to dive in! I'm very happy to have visited this place and **I hope you enjoyed** my adventure. See you next time, *Delilha*

Accanto alla grotta, è stata anche realizzata una **piscina di acqua marina**, incastonata in un paesaggio da favola tra le rocce. Questa piscina ha la particolarità di avere un **accesso direttamente sul mare**, per i più coraggiosi che vogliono tuffarsi! Sono molto felice di aver visitato questo luogo e **spero che vi sia piaciuta** la mia avventura. Alla prossima, *Delilha*

[//]:# (!worldmappin 40.01281 lat 18.43288 long d3scr)

Sources - Fonti: _{https://www.visitcastro.com/it/grotta-zinzulusa} ![Firma.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/EoCg8WX1cpDj8UR2Q9v7DpHtCcH56dZpJ7zNxgsPbBAV3LHe3FVpZBPYnJQyA7iinci.jpg) [![Support3.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/gdrkl374-Support3.jpg)](https://hivesigner.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=discovery-it&approve=true)

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[![](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/delilhavores/243MLNLXSnKk87s8Ue78tnNJ5JcPFrHCiZvvPFhHUzW4GgbeLx3U9mFFV1oe9eNVa69KT.jpeg)](https://peakd.com/c/hive-127911/created)

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