Here we are, a week after the official opening, to tell you a little something about the enchanting and legendary place that hosts our diving.
The city of Santa Cesarea Terme rises on the Adriatic side of southern Salento, in a hilly region that reaches 129 meters above sea level, rich in vegetation that descends towards the sea – which in this stretch of the coast is particularly transparent, laced with iridescent colors. The morphology of the territory, conditioned by the karst phenomenon, is characterized by the presence of caves and cavities along the entire coastline; in the most famous four marine caves (Fetida, Sulfurea, Gattulla and Solfatara) there are also mineral water springs that, due to their chemical-physical composition, are endowed with noted curative and healthy properties.
The legends of the sulfur springs
The origin of these sulfur springs is lost in the mists of time; however, popular tradition can narrow the origins down two different legends.
The first, pagan, tells the story of Hercules, who, rushing to the aid of Jupiter under attack from the Titans, won the battle against these monsters, considered invincible, on the Phlegraean Fields. Some survivors, however, managed to escape the battle and fled to the caves upon which Santa Cesarea Terme now stands. The giants were pursued by Hercules, who discovered and killed them here. Their monstrous bodies dissolved into the waters of the caves and tainted the sea with sulfur.
The second legend, instead, is linked to Christianity and tells of a young girl, Cesaria, who was the devoted daughter of a rich merchant and lost her mother at the age of fifteen. To escape the lust of her libidinous father, the young woman, who had taken a vow of chastity, devised a trap to escape from home. Cesaria bound two doves to the basin which she used to wash her feet and these, by flapping their wings, led her father to believe that she was still in her room while, in reality, she fled from the backdoor. After five days of walking, Cesaria arrived on the coast between Otranto and Castro, where she took refuge in prayer while hidden in a cave. Her father, overwhelmed by anger and unholy desire, desperately searched for her. When he finally managed to find her, she killed herself before he could abuse her. The father was struck by a whirlwind and thrown into the sea which, upon contact with his sinful nature, become fetid and impure.
There are various versions of these legends, but the common denominator is that the source of the sulfur comes from the dissolution and decay of evil bodies. However, it also reflects the value of a divine gift: the defeat of the wicked for the good.
