Su Meraculu Cave
Inland from Cala Sisine, about an hour’s walk from the beach, it is a very evocative cave, whose very name reveals some curious characteristics: it is called the “Grotta del Miracolo” (“Su Meraculu”, in Sardinian). Most probably, the name is due to the presence of thousands of “eccentric stalactites”, so called because they grow highly irregularly (and in clear contrast with the law of gravity), branching off in all directions, both upwards and horizontally.
According to many geologists (though it is worth noting that there is still no explanation that has been unanimously accepted by scholars), the bizarre behaviour of the “eccentric stalactites” is due to complex phenomena related to hydrostatic pressure and a capillary action. For an “eccentric” to develop, the flow of water that creates it must be very slow and must occur by porosity (not the normal dripping), so as to spread via a capillary action on the surface of the concretion. In the eyes of the herdsmen of the Supramonte of Baunei, who visited this cave mainly because it contains a valuable source of freshwater, these concretions must have looked like a real “miracle of nature”, hence the name “Grotta del Miracolo” (“Miracle Cave”). The spectacular cave consists of different rooms, among which the main hall (reached through a narrow passage a few metres long) is decorated by thousands of eccentric stalactites that cover the ceiling. About thirty metres further onwards is a small room that contains the fresh water spring. The average height of the larger rooms is about 5 to 6 metres. The average temperature inside the cave is about 17° C, while the humidity is close to 80%. The part that has so far been explored measures over 200 metres in length.
Known only to the herdsmen who frequented the area for a long time, the cave was opened to the public in 2001 thanks to the initiative of some young people who thought to include a guided tour of the cave in a nature excursion that, commencing in Cala Sisine, allows hikers to gain an appreciation of the territory of baunei in a matter of hours. The entrance to the cavity is in a rock cliff, 300 metres above sea level, and it is also accessible from inland, via a dirt road from the Golgo plateau along the bed of the “Sisine Codula” up to the “Planu ‘e Murta” clearing, where there is a path that leads to the beach.
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