Ciolo

The Ciolo is a small canyon that runs down to the cobalt-blue sea, in the municipality of Gagliano del Capo; the name comes from the 'ciole', the crows that circle over the rocky ridges. At the bottom is a tiny cove, a few metres wide, used by fishermen as a landing: the shore is partly concreted over and the seabed, sandy at first, becomes very deep after a few strokes. There are no beach clubs.

The most experienced divers leap from the coast road bridge, over thirty metres high. A few hundred metres away opens the Grotta Grande del Ciolo, with an entrance more than thirty metres high and, inside, a small freshwater lake with emerald reflections; on the other side of the fjord is the Grotta Piccola, flooded and accessible from the sea. You will need water shoes and it is not a place for small children. The area is in the Costa Otranto-Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase regional nature park. It is part of the Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca Natura 2000 site.

There are car parks nearby. The coast faces east: with north (tramontana), south (ostro), south-west (libeccio), west (ponente) and north-west (maestrale) winds it is sheltered, with north-east (grecale), east (levante) and south-east (scirocco) winds the sea gets rough.