Conca dei Marini

Conca dei Marini has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1997 and when you see it for the first time, you immediately know why.

The town is spread over along three kilometers of coastline. Its white houses are built on two levels: the first dedicated to the cellars and deposits, where the inhabitants of Conca dei Marini kept their fishing equipment, in such a way as to isolate the land from the second floor, used as dwellings.

Conca dei Marini has long been a place of tourism for those who love quiet and private holidays, numerous splendid villas scattered along the coast are often a place to stay for well-known personalities in search of privacy. Conca dei Marini in the seventies was the favourite place of Princess Margaret of England, who would reach it by sea.

Attractions in Conca dei Marini

Emerald Grotto

This is the main attraction in Conca dei Marini, and it is a real wonder measuring 24 meters high and 45 metres wide. The Emerald Grotto was discovered in 1932 by a local fisherman Luigi Buonocore. It takes its name for the play of colors from cobalt blue to turquoise and then passing from green to emerald, green, due to the sunlight that crosses an underwater groove that connects it to the open sea.

At the beginning, the cave was above sea level and inside it, over the years, stalactites and stalagmites have formed giving rise to majestic columns, some odf which exceed ten meters.

Due to slow vertical movements, the surface of the Emerald Grotto was partially covered by water and from 1956 on the seabed, at a depth of 4 meters. The crystalline sea exposes a nativity scene made up of ceramic figurines. At Christmas time, divers bring flowers to baby Jesus.

Church of San Giovanni Battista

The Church of San Giovanni Battista is the main religious building in Conca dei Marini; it is also known as the Church of Sant’Antonio da Padova, patron saint of the village.

It dominates the town from above with its Baroque facade where the image of the patron saint stands out, and its bell tower with a majolica vault and is said to date back to before 1400.

The interior is divided by two rows of columns with decorated arches. While on the sides there are two chapels: one dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine, the other to Blessed Bonaventure of which numerous paintings are preserved. The church is made unique by the long driveway, which can be reached after passing an iron gate and which offers an unforgettable view.

San Pancrazio Church

In a superb position, the building is surrounded by a large courtyard with mosaics above. Inside, the church is made up of three naves and three apses. The side aisles are dominated by cross vaults and have three small chapels each: on the right those dedicated to San Gaetano, the Madonna della Neve and Sant’Anna, and on the left those dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Crucified Christ and San Raffaele.

In the church, moreover, the Madonna del Carmelo is also venerated, which is celebrated with a solemn procession on the occasion of the feast of July 16.

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