Santa Maria di Leuca, often spelled simply Leuca, is a frazione of the comune of Castrignano del Capo, in the Salento peninsula Apulia, southern Italy. Punta Meliso promontory is the southeastern extremity of Italy — traditionally considered the lowest point of the geographical `heel` of Italian peninsula, as well as the meeting point of the waters from the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. The territory between Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca has become a Regional Natural Coastal Park of `Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase`. A fracture in the rock from which terrifying sea noises come, amplified by the rocks, gave the name to the cave, identified by the popular imagination as the gateway to hell. Prehistoric anthropological finds have also been made in this cave. The cave has a mainly horizontal development, of about 40 m. It opens into the rocky tongue of Punta Ristola, and is easily accessible from the ground through the opening of about 4m by 2m in height and immediately widens into a cave about 12m wide, without side tunnels. At about 25 meters from the entrance, the ground drops down with a jump of a few meters, then ending with two openings, one on the left towards the top, which overlooks the coastal cliff at about 3 meters above sea level, and one on the right downwards, which with a short gallery about 3 meters wide connects with the sea, which is accessed through a large semi-submerged entrance.

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