Ciolo (Apulia)

Ciolo is a narrow coastal inlet and a site of historical and environmental interest, which is located in the south of Apulia, in the historical region of Salento, Italy. The location is also known as a geological site and for the presence of numerous sea caves, the largest one being the Grotta del Ciolo. Since October 2006 the Ciolo's area has become part of the Regional Park "Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase", created by the Apulia region to protect the eastern coast of Salento, specifically the architectural assets as well as important animal and plant species.

The name Ciolo comes from the noun in salentino dialect "ciole", which refers to crows or magpies, which are widespread in this region.

Ciolo is located in the comune of Gagliano del Capo, in Apulia and it is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto Santa Maria di Leuca Bosco di Tricase".

Ciolo is dominated by Ponte Ciolo (Ciolo's Bridge), a road bridge built in the 1960s. It crosses the inlet and connects the two shores of Santa Maria di Leuca and Novaglie. The single-span bridge is approximately 23 meters above water, 60 meters long and 10 meters wide.

The first structure, part of a project for the entire coastal road by the engineer Mario Carrone, envisaged a bridge with two continuous spans. This project was unfeasible due to the impossibility to build the central pile, as evidenced by the geo-technical report by the professor and engineer Vincenzo Cotecchia. At that point the engineer Antonio La Tegola was appointed. He adopted the technique of the Swiss engineer Robert Maillart, which required the incorporation of a thin vault and a stiffening deck. For this reason the structure the bridge was called Maillart's Bridge in the preliminary plans and studies.

Ciolo's Bridge was built by rotating the previously planned road axis, an operation that was necessary to find the right supports for the span. There are still some concrete stumps under the current span, which were necessary for the construction of the rib.

Since the construction in the 1960s the bridge has been object of reinforcement and consolidation's works, the last being in the summer of 2019.

In Ciolo canyon there are several sea caves formed during the Neolithic and Paleolithic age. In total this area includes three different major caves: the Grotta Grande del Ciolo (Ciolo's Huge Cave), the Grotta Piccola Del Ciolo (Ciolo's Small Cave) and the Grotta Delle Prazziche (Cave of the Prazziche).