The Cipolliane Trail, from Novaglie to the Ciolo
A path along the high coast of the Capo di Leuca, among dry-stone walls and scrub, passing above the Cipolliane caves and ending at the Ciolo, the gorge that opens onto the sea beneath the coast-road bridge.
- Difficulty
- T Tourist
- Length
- 5.1 km
- Elevation gain
- +70 m / −70 m
- Time
- 2 hours round trip, including the caves
- Route
- Out and back
- Altitude
- 0–49 m
- Season
- Spring Summer Autumn Winter
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The story
The Cipolliane caves, carved by the sea into the limestone, were already inhabited in the Upper Palaeolithic: excavations have yielded flint tools and worked bone. The path lies within the Costa Otranto–Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase regional nature park and follows a stretch of coast still free of houses and roads.
Why go
Because it is one of the wildest stretches of the Salento coast, with prehistoric caves looking out over the sea.
Practical information
- Start
- Marina di Novaglie (Alessano), near the small harbour
- Finish
- Ponte del Ciolo (Gagliano del Capo); return the same way
- Best time
- All year round; in summer early in the morning
- Parking
- At Marina di Novaglie and at the Ponte del Ciolo.
- By public transport
- You need a car.
- Water
- No springs: bring at least a litre each.
- Shade
- Very little: a path along the rocky coast, among scrub and dry-stone walls.
- Huts and refreshments
- None; bars at Novaglie and at the Ciolo in summer.
- With children
- Yes, in closed shoes: the path is easy but the rock is uneven, and the detours to the caves are steep.
Weather at the start
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
What to see on the route and nearby
After the hike, into the water
More hikes in Puglia
- 1Scala Santa, from Macchia to Monte Sant'AngeloE 3.3 km · +510 m · 1.5–2 hours uphill · point to point
- 2From Otranto to the Punta Palascìa lighthouseT 6.3 km · +80 m · 1.5–2 hours · point to point
Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Waymarked Trails and BRouter; elevations from a digital terrain model. Times and elevation gains are indicative: waymarks on the ground and closure orders always take precedence.