Grotta dello Smeraldo

Grotta dello Smeraldo
256px Cape Conca and the area of the entrance to the grotto
Location	Conca dei Marini (SA, Campania, Italy)
Depth	32 m
Length	45 m
Discovery	1932
Geology	Sea cave

The Grotta dello Smeraldo (Italian for "Emerald Grotto") is a cave, partly inundated by the sea and located in Conca dei Marini, Italy, on the Amalfi Coast.

Overview

It is one of several caves worldwide, that is flooded with a brilliant blue or emerald light. The quality and nature of the color in each cave is determined by the unique lighting conditions in that particular cave. The grotto, which is located at the Amalfi Coast, is partly filled with sea water. The surface area of the water measures roughly 45 x 32 metres, with a cavern roof about 24 metres above water level. Formation of cave was caused by bradyseism - tectonic upheaval of cliffs, where cliffs fractured and cave was formed along the fissures. Now the cave has descended and sea water had entered it, partly flooding the stalagmites in it.

Unlike the Blue Grotto located a few kilometres to the west on Capri, the Grotta dello Smeraldo has no natural outlet above the waterline. The only opening to the outside world is just below the water level. Refracted sunlight entering the cavern through the opening gives the water its characteristic emerald glow during daylight hours.

The absence of a natural opening above the waterline meant that the grotto’s existence remained unknown for many years. It was discovered by a fisherman named Luigi Buoncore in 1932.

The grotto is accessible from Strada Statale 163, the main road along the Amalfi Coast. There is a small parking lot beside an elevator which takes visitors down to cave level, where they board boats that take them through the grotto.

See also

• Amalfi Coast
• Fiordo di Furore
• List of caves in Italy

External links

• Grotta dello Smeraldo at showcaves.com
• (Italian) Emerald Cave's page on Conca dei Marini website