UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL ITINERARY: BETWEEN RELATIONS AND REPERTS
BETWEEN PORTO FOSSA MARZAMEMI AND DIVING POINT

Evocative and fascinating, a wonder hidden from sight: it is the itinerary of submerged archaeological heritage. The Sea of ​​Sicily, especially the stretch of coast that goes from Gallina beach of Avola to Pozzallo, colonized by Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Spaniards has always been the scene of events, meetings, wars, shipwrecks and has helped to preserve, in more or less visible way, the traces of history. They are remains of naval loads: from imposing columns for the construction of amphoras buildings for wine and oil, from statues to adornments to furnishings. Hundreds of artifacts, most of which, given the size and state of conservation, were left on site in what looks like a sort of underwater museum. Today, thanks to the intensive survey work and Carthusian surveys by the Superintendency of the Cultural and Archaeological Heritage of the Sea, many of these archaeological finds have been identified, studied and cataloged. Many other artefacts, preserved by the wear of the sea and above all by the "relict" raids, are kept in a real underwater archaeological museum, which collects hundreds of finds found in the depths of the whole coast of the Gac of the two Seas: it is the Museum of the Sea of ​​Calabernardo (Noto). Among all the archaeological and underwater itineraries identified and usable, the one proposed is Marzamemi 1, located about a mile from the coast near the seaside village from which it takes its name. To get to the dive site, we recommend leaving by boat from the large port of Marzamemi (Porto Fossa), accompanied by expert guides authorized to immerse themselves in places with archaeological restrictions. The dive is easy to perform, as the site is about 7 meters deep on a rocky plateau. The water is almost always clear lacking sandy suspension. The archaeological site covers an area of ​​about 600 square meters: due to its size and low depth it is also suitable for snorkeling excursions. It is a load of semi-finished columns and squared blocks, presumably prepared for bases or capitals. Thanks to the presence of fragments of amphorae it was possible to date the wreck to the III century AD. The marble of the columns is of oriental origin, it is assumed the provenance from quarries of Turkey. The spectacularity of the site is given by the size of the columns: the largest is 6.40 meters long, with a diameter of about 185 centimeters. There is no way of knowing what these columns meant, presumably to build a majestic building, given their colossal dimensions. Nothing remains of the wreck and the wooden elements. The ship, submerged on the rocky bottom, has been exposed for centuries to the action of sea water and to that of a particular mollusk, Teredo Navalis, which loves to dig long tunnels in the wood. It can be assumed, given the load (about 165 tons), that the ship was a little less than 30 meters long with a minimum width of 9 meters. Among the columns and blocks of marble, well hidden among the plants of Posidonia Oceanica, there is no lack of underwater fauna: morays, octopus, bream, small crustaceans color and make the exploration of the site unique and truly evocative.

We thank the Sicilian Region, Superintendency of the Sea, for the kind concession of underwater photos of the archaeological site "Marzamemi 1" - photo S. Emma

Source GAC dei due mari