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Coves
and Tunnels
It
is not easy to immediately relate the sense of mystery surrounding the Portonovo
Bay, its fried fish and family tourism with the existence of pirate legends and
“true” stories about raids and hidden treasure. However it is the presence
of historical landmarks like the Cove of Slaves and the famous watchtower of
Portonovo (erected in 1716) that provide some truth to the myths. The Cove of
the Slaves had an opening 70 metres wide, a small inner beach and was accessible
by boat from two entries until a landslide in 1920 obstructed it forever. Legend
suggests that it was probably named after the “Schiavoni” pirates who used
it as a shelter.
Following
the Pirates were the stories of the friars who are believed to have chosen the
Cove of San Benedetto, situated at the base of the mountain, as their secluded
hideaway. The most fascinating mystery of this mountain stems from the series of
tunnels, passageways and defensive hideaways, including water conduits used to
supply the city of Ancona, as it is believed to have been built by the Romans.
The
whole Conero area between Poggio di Ancona, Massignano, Camerano, Sirolo and
Numana is famed for its network of tunnels (some even reached the centre of
Ancona). However they have now collapsed and it is therefore impossible to map
them, even though they are still researched by the speleologists. Situated
between Camerano and Ancona on the western side of the Conero there are vertical
openings like sinks approximately every thirty meters. The most famous of these
is called “Hole of the Devil” or “Hole of the Fear”. According to
tradition, the tunnel goes down twenty meters in depth before splitting into two
galleries that lead in several directions to the sea and the Cove of the Slaves.
Some
legends related to the coves and the tunnels tell of unlucky explorers who, once
inside, were hypnotised by the song of a mysterious weaver. Nevertheless these
legends will never cease due to the many places like “Il Ripone”, the cliff
that descends from “Pian Grande”, “Ripe” and “Montirozzo” that talk
of pirates, tunnels and cavern’s
buried full of treasure.
©
2001
Liberation Ventures Ltd.
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