Find out how to visit the Lovers’ Cavern in Torre di Palme and discover the legend hidden in this mysterious cave in the woods!
After the small bridge over the San Filippo ditch you reach the Lovers’ Cavern which took its name from the story of the young Antonio and Laurina who, for a few days during the colonial wars in Libya, took refuge there to live their love adventure; consumed by remorse for having escaped and feeling hunted, rather than separate, they chose death by throwing themselves into the San Filippo ditch.
The itinerary of the Forest of Cugnolo has a circular shape, after a ten-minutes walk, it becomes narrower and thick.
You will reach a crossroads leading to a last sloping stretch you can overcome with the assistance of a rope arranged in the path, in order to arrive at a small square on the wooded slope, where you can notice the enter to the Lovers’ Cavern, a large cavern with two entrances.
The story that gave the name to the “Lovers’ cavern”, between history and legend, took place during the colonial wars for the conquest of Lebanon, when a young man called Antonio got a license for a few days to come back home to his family and his promised spouse Laurina.
Once passed the license days given to the young soldier, the young couple was not able to separate themselves again so they took shelter in the little sandstone cavern dug in the forest’s tuff walls where they lived their love adventure, eating bread and sardines caught offered by the close fishermen.
When rumor had it that authorities were searching for Antonio as he was a deserter, the young lovers took shelter in the little sylvan Church of Saint Philipp Neri and, after a few days, consumed by the remorse and feeling hunt, rather than separate themselves they chose death, throwing themselves in San Filippo moat, tied together with Laurina’s shawl and Antonio’s belt.
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