Il cimitero delle ancore

Il Cimitero delle Ancore — the Anchor Cemetery — is an advanced dive site off Santa Maria di Leuca in southern Puglia, where centuries of maritime history rest on the seabed at 26 meters depth. Dozens of ancient anchors from different eras lie scattered across the rocky bottom, ranging from Roman lead-stock anchors to medieval iron designs and more recent Admiralty-type anchors. Each is heavily encrusted with marine growth, creating artificial reef structures that attract dense fish populations. Groupers use the larger anchors as territorial markers, while moray eels thread through the smaller artifacts. The site's archaeological significance is matched by its biological richness — the hard substrates of the anchors support diverse encrusting communities in an area where the sandy seabed would otherwise offer little habitat.