Ciolo (Apulia)
Ciolo is a narrow coastal inlet and a site of historical and environmental interest, which is located in the south of Apulia, in the historical region of Salento, Italy. The location is also known as a geological site and for the presence of numerous sea caves, the largest one being the Grotta del Ciolo. Since October 2006 the Ciolo's area has become part of the Regional Park "Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase", created by the Apulia region to protect the eastern coast of Salento, specifically the architectural assets as well as important animal and plant species.
The name Ciolo comes from the noun in salentino dialect "ciole", which refers to crows or magpies, which are widespread in this region.
Location
Ciolo is located in the comune of Gagliano del Capo, in Apulia and it is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto Santa Maria di Leuca Bosco di Tricase".Ponte del Ciolo (Ciolo's Bridge)
Ciolo is dominated by Ponte Ciolo, a road bridge built in the 1960s. It crosses the inlet and connects the two shores of Santa Maria di Leuca and Novaglie. The single-span bridge is approximately 23 meters above water, 60 meters long and 10 meters wide.
The first structure, part of a project for the entire coastal road by the engineer Mario Carrone, envisaged a bridge with two continuous spans. This project was unfeasible due to the impossibility to build the central pile, as evidenced by the geo-technical report by the professor and engineer Vincenzo Cotecchia. At that point the engineer Antonio La Tegola was appointed. He adopted the technique of the Swiss engineer Robert Maillart, which required the incorporation of a thin vault and a stiffening deck. For this reason the structure the bridge was called Maillart's Bridge in the preliminary plans and studies.
Ciolo's Bridge was built by rotating the previously planned road axis, an operation that was necessary to find the right supports for the span. There are still some concrete stumps under the current span, which were necessary for the construction of the rib.
Since the construction in the 1960s the bridge has been object of reinforcement and consolidation's works, the last being in the summer of 2019.
The Ciolo's Caves
In Ciolo canyon there are several sea caves formed during the Neolithic and Paleolithic age. In total this area includes three different major caves: the Grotta Grande del Ciolo, the Grotta Piccola Del Ciolo and the Grotta Delle Prazziche.| Caves | Coordinates | Length | Width |
| Grotta Piccola Del Ciolo | 39° 50 | 120 | -missing- |
| Grotta Grande Del Ciolo | 39° 50 | 120 | -missing- |
| Grotta Delle Prazziche | 39° 50' 42" N 18° 23' 05.6" E | 40 | 6 |
Grotta Piccola Del Ciolo
The Grotta Piccola Del Ciolo, also called the "Grotta della foca monaca", is a semi-submerged cave located in the homonymous cove. Its entrance is located on the west side of the canyon and it is set on a fracture slightly enlarged by water.The main cave develops linearly for more than 120 meters, which makes it one of the longest in all the Salento sub-peninsula. The cave is formed by different chambers: on the west side of the entrance there is a natural chamber about 30 meters long and in the terminal part of the main cave there is a tiny beach. It was in this chamber that the speleologist Franco Grandi found a monk seal, which gave the name to the cave itself. Inside a source of fresh water is available. From a strictly biological point of view, different studies have been carried out during the years in the cave by different research teams coordinated by the University of Salento, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and University of Urbino. Since 2000, studies have been performed on benthic hard substrate stands living in the cave as well as taxonomic studies on the fauna able to live on the sea bottom and on the planktonic one. The studies have revealed a diverse sea bottom community even on little scale but very stable in time even if decreasing. The plankton analysed has appeared rich in nutrition, indicating that the decline of the community may relate to other factors, such as the possible infiltration of fresh water.
Grotta Grande Del Ciolo
The Grotta Grande Del Ciolo is also known by different names, such as Grotta degli Spiriti ', Grotta dei Passeri ' and Bocca del Pozzo . The cave is semi-submerged and is characterized by a wide entrance, the result of an ancient phenomenon of collapse that partially occluded a portion of the archeological substrate of the cave, about 20 meters above the sea level, leaving the remaining portion exposed to sea erosion provoked by the constant inflow and then outflow of water and waves. The cave develops longitudinally by 120 meters and the height of the entrance is over 30 meters, progressively decreasing along its longitudinal development.The cave contains a pond generated by a source of fresh water which originates from a subterranean source near its location.
Grotta Delle Prazziche
Grotta Delle Prazzicheis one of the main caves near Ciolo, and is accessible by boat. The structure of the cave is circular, and at the top there is a vertical syphon to the open air.
Many studies have been carried out inside and some prehistoric remains have been found, including handcrafts belonging to the Neolithic, ceramics and remains of rhinos.
Geology
The eastern coast of Salento is a noteworthy geological location due to the events that took place in the Mediterranean area starting from the Cretaceous period.Ciolo is mostly formed by a lower part of the stratigraphic succession, which includes Cretaceous bioclastic limestones and breccias and conglomerates of the dating to the late Oligocene. In this area there are deposits of phosphatic limestone formations, phosphatic conglomerates and phosphatic concentrations. The upper part consists of Miocene aged limestone. The limestones present in the Ciolo area is characterized by bioclastic calcarenites and calcirudites and it is recognizable by its parallel and oblique lamination.
Flora
In CioloFerns
Ciolo is an hypogeal habitat for botanical species like cryptogams: algae, mosses and ferns. There are about sixty species of bryophytes living in the caves of Apulia which have been studied, including fifteen types of ferns.Focusing the attention on the caves in Apulia, it is worth considering the distribution of ferns. Ferns have interested many scientists since the 1950s and 1960s, the biggest contributions to the studies in this area were made by Franco Anelli, Francesco Orfino and Pietro Parenzan. They mainly focused on Grotta di Castellana but extended their studies also to Ciolo. The University of Lecce undertook pteridological studies on this territory.
The caves have very limited examples of phototrophic vegetation. There are some cases in which it is possible to find etiolate plants inside these caves. These plants grow from seeds transported by water, but without light they do not grow enough and then they die. For their sexed reproduction high humidity is essential, humidity is also the reason for the low desiccation process.
Ciolo's Caves are the only certified sites in Apulia where Asplenium marinum exists. Ciolo's Caves are on the boundary of the Eastern area of this species.
The morphology of the caves has determined their plant colonization. The wide entrance of some of the caves have created an ideal plant habitat and supports a major vegetal population. Populations are small and with a poor capability to adapt. There is scientific evidence that a unique event of colonization gave birth to single fern populations. Protected habitats can function as shelters if they have particular micro-climatic conditions, thus they act for species which haven't found a balance with the changeable environment.
The status of phytogeographic relict can be defined only for some species of ferns. Following the hypothesis of Pichi Sermolli the Asplenium marines in Apulia in Ciolo could be a relic from the wet period of the Pleistocene.
It is possible to track different chorological models in the Ciolo using the distribution of Asplenium marinum. There is an hypothesis that the species is present in this territory as a relic banished to an hypogeal habitat due to climate changes.
Alyssum of Leuca
Along the paths that cover the area of Ciolo some botanical species of flowers can be found such as the Alyssum, a typical plant of this part of the region. It can be easily found due to the fact that it usually grows under the solar exposition, it is resistant to both cold and warm weather, and it can grow in stony and dry areas.Vicia Giacominiana
The Vicia Giacominiana is a special type of plant native of Salento. It is a therophyte, and it is usually two meters high. It flowers during the months of April and May.Its flowers are fuchsia, arranged in groups of racemes with a stem twice the length of the leaves. The Vicia Giacominiana is found exclusively within herbaceous communities of plants.
Fiordaliso of Leuca
The Fiordaliso of Leuca is a rare plant, native from the area of Salento, which grows above limestone cliffs and next to the sea.It is a perennial, bushy and thick plant, that can reach the height of 30 up to 60 meters.