Grotta della Poesia and Roca Vecchia: What Changed in 2026

Grotta della Poesia is a natural sea pool at Roca Vecchia, on the Adriatic coast of Salento between San Foca and Torre dell'Orso. Since 18 July 2026 the archaeological area is no longer free: a EUR 5 ticket is required for non-residents, managed under the ArcheoRoca project. Swimming and diving inside the cave have been banned since 2019 and the ticket does not change that. It is a walking and viewpoint visit, not a beach day.

The essentials at a glance

Where: Roca Vecchia, Melendugno, on the SP366 coast road between San Foca and Torre dell'Orso. From Lecce it is about 25 km, roughly thirty minutes by car. Ticket: EUR 5 standard, free for Melendugno residents, EUR 10 for the Experience ticket with guided visit and virtual reality reconstruction. Tickets online at archeoroca.it or at the two ticket offices on site, one in the Castello area and one by the Grotte della Poesia. Hours in the 2026 season: 9:00 to 20:00 in June and July, 9:00 to 19:00 in August and September, daily. Swimming is not allowed. Allow one to two hours for the archaeological area, and expect almost no shade on rocky, uneven ground.

Getting here without the parking problem is easy on two wheels: Roca Vecchia is a short ride from our pickup point in San Foca.

What Grotta della Poesia actually is

It is not one cave but two. Poesia Grande is the famous one: an elliptical pool of roughly 30 by 18 metres, carved into the limestone and connected to the open sea through a natural passage. About seventy metres away sits Poesia Piccola, smaller at around 15 by 9 metres, quieter, and archaeologically the more important of the two.

The walls of the smaller cave carry more than three thousand inscriptions in Messapian, Greek and Latin. The site was a sanctuary, in continuous use across several civilisations, and those carvings are the reason access is now controlled. Limestone erodes, and thousands of people climbing in and out of the pool every summer was eroding it faster.

Around the pools lies the archaeological area of Roca Vecchia: the ancient settlement, the medieval citadel and the Messapian walls.

What changed in July 2026

Until last summer, you parked nearby and walked in. That ended on 18 July 2026.

The site is now managed under ArcheoRoca, a public-private partnership between the Comune di Melendugno and ArtWork, set up to handle visitor flows and fund conservation. Access to the archaeological area, including both Poesia Grande and Poesia Piccola, requires a ticket.

The standard ticket is EUR 5 and is free for residents of Melendugno. The Experience ticket is EUR 10 and includes a guided visit and a virtual reality reconstruction. Reduced rates and family packages exist, but the conditions are set at the ticket office, so ask there rather than assuming. Tickets are sold online at archeoroca.it and at the two ticket offices on site.

The system runs through the summer season to the end of September. Year-round management is the stated goal, but outside summer you should check before travelling: opening arrangements off-season are not fixed yet.

Can you swim in Grotta della Poesia

No. This is the single most common misunderstanding, and paying the ticket does not change it.

Swimming inside the cave has been prohibited since 2019, on top of earlier port authority restrictions. There are two reasons: the cliff edges are fragile and prone to breaking away, and the inscriptions in Poesia Piccola cannot survive constant contact. Diving from the rock arch, climbing down the carved steps and entering the water from the cave are all prohibited.

You will find older articles, videos and photos showing exactly that. They predate the current rules, or they show people breaking them. Plan the visit as a walk along a spectacular clifftop with a piece of Mediterranean history attached, and it will be a good afternoon. Plan it as a swimming spot and you will be disappointed at the gate.

Where to swim instead: Torre dell'Orso, a few minutes away, with a wide sandy bay, or San Foca on the other side, with a small harbour and rocky coves. Both are proper swimming beaches and both are minutes from Roca by bike.

Roca Vecchia: what else is there

Most visitors photograph the pool and leave within twenty minutes. That is a waste of the ticket you have just bought.

The path takes in the medieval citadel, the Messapian walls and the remains of the settlement that made this a sanctuary in the first place. The Santuario di Maria Santissima delle Grazie sits on the way in from the car park.

The ground is rock and compacted dirt, uneven in places, and there is almost no shade on the route. In July and August the middle of the day is genuinely hard work, for children especially. Bring water, and a hat.

How to get to Grotta della Poesia

By car, from Lecce, take the SP366 Litoranea Salentina towards Melendugno and follow the coast: about 25 km, roughly half an hour. Temporary parking areas open in the Melendugno marinas in summer, but do not count on large car parks near the entrances, because locations, prices and availability change with the season and with council decisions. In August, arriving after 10:00 usually means parking further out and walking in.

By bus, the seasonal Salento in Bus service connects Lecce with the coastal towns, including Roca Vecchia, running from mid-June to mid-September in 2026. Routes and timetables change every season, so check the operator's current schedule rather than a blog.

By bike, this is the option almost nobody writes about, and on this stretch of coast it is the best one. The SP366 runs along the sea from San Foca to Torre dell'Orso, passing Roca. There is no parking problem, no shuttle, and the coastline between the marinas is the point of the ride rather than the obstacle before it.

Roca Vecchia by bike

From our pickup point in San Foca, Roca Vecchia is a short and almost flat coastal ride on asphalt. From Lecce it is around 25 km each way on a mix of quiet country lanes and the coast road.

Two things are worth knowing before you plan it. The coastal SP366 gets busy in July and August, particularly between 10:00 and 18:00, and there is no continuous cycle lane on that stretch, so ride it early in the morning or late in the afternoon and keep children on the inside. And bring a lock: the archaeological area is a walking route, so you will leave the bike at the entrance.

Three ways we can do this with you. One, a guided day tour starting and finishing at Roca Vecchia: we bring the bikes to Roca, you ride the coast and the countryside behind it, and you finish where you started, with the visit to the archaeological area built into the day. Two, a tour that passes through Roca, starting from wherever you are staying, be that Lecce, San Foca, Otranto or Torre dell'Orso, so Roca becomes the stop in the middle of a longer coastal ride rather than the destination. Three, just the bikes: pickup in Lecce, Calimera and San Foca, delivery to your stay on request, and you ride it on your own. Helmet, lights, lock, pump, repair kit and spare tube are included.

Tell us your dates and where you are staying and we will tell you which of the three makes sense for the days you have.

When to go

Early morning, right at opening, or the last two hours before closing. The light on the water is better at both ends of the day, the crowds are thinner and the walk is bearable.

May, June and September are the best months on this coast for anything active: the sea is warm enough, the SP366 is quiet, and the temperature stays in a range where cycling is a pleasure rather than an endurance test. August works, but only early and late in the day.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book the ticket in advance? Tickets are available online at archeoroca.it and at the two ticket offices on site. In peak August weeks, buying online before you travel saves queueing at the entrance.

Is it free for children? Reduced rates and family packages exist, but the exact conditions are set by the operator. Ask at the ticket office or check archeoroca.it before you go.

Can I visit outside the summer season? The ticketing system runs to the end of September. Year-round management is the stated aim, but off-season access is not yet standard, so check before making the trip.

How long does the visit take? Between one and two hours if you walk the full archaeological route, twenty minutes if you only want the photograph, which is what most people do.

Is it suitable for young children? Yes, as a walk. The ground is rocky and uneven and there is almost no shade, so avoid the middle of the day in summer and bring water. It is not a beach visit: children expecting to swim need to be told before you arrive.

What is there nearby if I want to swim? Torre dell'Orso and San Foca, both minutes away, both proper swimming beaches with facilities.

Riding the Adriatic coast

Roca Vecchia sits between two of our pickup points. We bring the bike to you in San Foca, Lecce or Calimera, or deliver it to your hotel or villa anywhere in Salento, with delivery priced by distance. Road, gravel or e-bike, with helmet, lights, lock, pump, repair kit and spare tube included. Tours can start and finish at Roca, or take it in as a stop on a longer coastal ride from wherever you are staying.