Greek-Roman columns of Torre Chianca

In Torre Chianca, at only 4 meters and a half deep and 80 meters from the coast, five monolithic columns from the Roman era in the 2nd century AD can be found on the sandy seabed.

This submerged archeological site falls within the Protected Marine Area of Porto Cesareo. Here, a ship coming from the Greek island of Euboea in the Aegean Sea sank carrying aboard it a cargo of various artifacts, of which there were five enormous columns made of cipollino marble.

The columns are 9 meters long with a diameter of 70-100 cm and they originate from the Karystos quarry on the extreme south of Euboea island.

The processing of the columns is still in an unrefined state, with the grooves merely outlined.  Today they are, for the most part, covered in seaweed and some sea sponges.

Of the shipwreck, which occurred in 1960, only these columns remain.  Other artifacts, such as amphoras and bricks are currently conserved at the Aragonese Castle in Taranto.

The site is easily accessible by sea with a boat, but also by land, starting from the inlet adjacent to the Tower and continuing on by swimming the 80 meters that separate the coast from the submerged site. To observe the five columns one does not have to be a certified diver, but rather be equipped with a mask and fins for sea watching.