Circeo Experience
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Grotta dei Pesci (Fish Cave)

Grotta dei Pesci (Fish Cave)

Caves
Period
Prehistoric period
The place

Sea cave of the Circeo that probably owes its name to the wealth of fish to be seen in its clear waters, reachable by sea; it is a favourite with snorkellers and divers exploring the protected coast of the National Park.

On the stretch of coast known as La Calozza is the distinctive Grotta dei Pesci (Fish Cave). It is a large crack in the rock, a joint, about 8 metres wide and a full 20 high. Inside you can see holes bored by date mussels. The cave’s ancient fill is also cemented in its upper part.

Curiosities

Did you know?

A little gem to share with your travel companions.

Date mussels are bivalve molluscs very similar in shape and colour to dates, hence their name “sea dates”. They live inside limestone rocks, boring into them chemically to create small niches, to which they anchor themselves with a fibre called byssus. Date mussels give off a faint glow. Fishing for them is banned throughout the European Union, as harvesting them seriously harms the environment: the rock has to be broken with a hammer, destroying it.

Practical information

Visiting

Accessible only from the sea.