MEN AND GODS, THE SEA AND THE SACRED

The caves on the islet of Sant'Eufemia, opposite the town of Vieste, hold a thousand-year-old secret: more than 200 rock inscriptions that tell forgotten stories.
A precious heritage that from the Roman period to the contemporary age offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of sailors who plied the dangerous waters of the Adriatic. From the earliest engravings dedicated to the goddess Venus Sosandra, the "savior of men," to the Christian engravings of the medieval period, where sailors paid homage to their patron deities by carving their votive dedications on the rock walls.
But this cave was not just a shrine; it was a silent witness to centuries of life. Archaeological finds spanning nearly a thousand years of history emerge: ancient pottery, fragments of human bones. Tangible signs of a distant past.
A place that fits into that "geography of the sacred" that characterizes the coasts of the lower Adriatic and the Strait of Otranto, of which we will discover other maritime sanctuaries as far as the coast of Albania, in the bay of Grammata.
An extraordinary find that not only reveals a fragment of the history of this territory, but also invites us to reflect on the deep connection man has always had with the sea and its deities.
Thanks to the work of archaeologists from the Universities of Bari and Foggia led by Prof. Giuliano Volpe, the iconographic heritage of the island of St. Euphemia is regaining its voice, telling its stories buried in time and opening new doors to understanding the past.