SECRET SALENTO

Castro is predominately a seaside town's seaside town, with loads of crowded houses lining the hill rising up from the sea, and hordes of boats parked in the local marina. To live in Castro practically requires boat ownership. But Castro has another very unique claim to fame. Human skeletal remains of Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals have been found in the seaside caves near Castro, and one such prehistoric cave, Zinzulusa Cave, is still open to the public and offers a guided tour with explanations of the prehistorical findings in the area.

In fact, on any given day you will find groups of archeologists digging in some part of Salento because it has one of the richest sources of pre-historic archeological findings in all of Italy. Just in the last 50 years discoverers have found the Deer Caves, the first human dwellings in Salento which happen to date back to the Paleolithic period, around 20,000 years B.C. The Deer Caves consist of an underground city with streets, signposts, and a temple covered in rock paintings depicting how man lived. Unfortunately, the Deer Caves are not open to public viewing, but the Zinzulusa Cave still is. Find out more about the Zinzulusa Cave.

Located 2 km north of Castro on the coastal highway. Only guided visiting tours from 9.30 a.m to 6:30 p.m. (July 15 - September 15) and from 10.30 a.m to 4.30 p.m. (September 16 -July 14).