• Home
• Timetable
  • Scientific Program
  • Poster prize
• Registration
  • Registration & Payment
  • Abstract submission
• Speakers
• Participants
• General Information
  • Venue & Location
  • Accommodation
  • Restaurants
  • Transportation
  • Contacts
  • Emergency Numbers
  • Policy
• Social events
  • Social Dinner
  • Trip
  • Links of interest
• Committees

Social Trip

Imagine a warm and hospitable land, think of the ancient Greek and Turkish civilizations, add enchanting landscapes and gorgeous art works. This is Salento, a peninsula firmly linked to traditions, where hospitality is a sacred duty that has been handed down by the greatest civilizations who have populated this land. How to better define it?

Salento is the Mediterranean hub, with a strategic geographical position, between Ionian and Adriatic Seas; it is a melting pot of different races and a land of culture. Several places in Salento deserve to be visited, not only because of their natural beauty, but also because they let perceive the evolution happened over the course of time.

The social trip will take place on June 6, 2018. Details follow with times in CET:

• 14:30 – 15:30 Bus ride from the Workshop venue (i.e., Piazzetta Tancredi 7, Lecce) to Castro (roughly 48 km from Lecce)
• 15:30 – 17:00 Boat trip to visit the Castro caves
• 17:00 - 17:30 Disembarkation and group organization to enter the Zinzulusa cave
• 17:30 – 19:00 Guided tour of the Zinzulusa cave, one of the most important and beautiful coastal natural caves of Salento
• 19:30 – 21:00 Dinner^* in one of the most renowed Castro restaurant's terrace with sea view
• 21:00 – 22:00 Bus ride from Castro to the Workshop venue

* Please specify your dietary restrictions while registering.

What to wear?

• Shirts and trousers suitable for sports activities
• Shoes with non-slip rubber soles: the pier and the boat may be wet and slippery
• Hat for the sun and sunglasses are recommended

Restrictions and Recommendations

• No animals or large objects will be admitted on board. Participants may bring a waterproof bag on board for personal belongings.
• The tour is not recommended for people suffering from seasickness.

Something about Castro

Castro is considered a medieval country, which is located at an excellent panoramic position, and is a great foothold for excursions to the two most important caves of Puglia, the Romanelli cave and the Zinzulusa cave. Castro preserves important vestiges of its ancient splendor, with remains of the Byzantine Cathedral, a sixteenth-century manor and four fortified towers.

Something about Zinzulusa cave

As far as is known, it is no longer than 150 meters, although there are numerous indications suggesting a further development in branches not yet explored. The Atrium of the Cave is a 30-meter high cliff (with respect to the sea level). The rich ossiferous material found here has returned remains of rhinoceros, elephant, cave bear and hippopotamus. The remains of ancient underground rivers are still visible inside the cave. The cave hosts amazing calcareous concretions, i.e. a huge variety of stalactites and stalagmites with different shapes.

The evidence of a human settlement has been found here, including findings from the Paleolithic (burins, blades, scrapers) and the Neolithic (ceramics, bone artifacts, obsidians, flints). On the left side of the Vestibule there is a small lake with a surface of about 100 square meters and a depth of 7 meters in which pottery from the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods has also been found.

In case of bad weather conditions, an alternative program will be considered, which might include one or more of the following possibilities: guided tours to the Otranto and Castro Castle, Bauxite lake and Castro Hypogeum Crusher.