Chapter When geology becomes cultural wealth: Praia a Mare, town of caves

Abstract

Praia a Mare, called the city of the island due to the presence of the island of Dino, is characterized by the presence of many caves both on the mainland and on the island. The life of men has taken place in these caves since the Paleolithic: in its largest cavity there are both geological signs of the sea and drawings of the Paleolithic men who settled it. In this cave there is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Grotta, patron saint of the city. Greek monks settled in the nearby caves since the early Middle Ages, founding monasteries and places of spirituality. But Greek monasticism left signs of its passage on the island, as is clear from the name of one of the caves, the Monk's cave. The body of Vitigno, the Praia hero who defended the city from the assault of the Turks in 1639, was found in a cave on the island. It is likely that the first settlement of Praia took place in 15th-16th centuries by Schiavoni, probably from Ragusa, today in Croatia, who occupied the caves on the mainland, forming the first residential nucleus of the town and calling it Plaja Scavorum. In this contribution, a census was carried out of the caves present in the Praia area so that they could become part of a redevelopment project through the cleaning of some earth caves covered by vegetation that had grown over time and by debris and by the protection of the sea caves so that all can become a tourist route.