Historical descriptions of Dino Island, Calabria

Dino Island is the largest of two Calabresi islands , the other being the Isle of Cirella.

It rises on the northwestern coast of the Calabrian Tyrrhenian Sea, opposite the town of Praia a Mare in province of Cosenza, in front of the Arena Head south of the country.

Its name derives from the fact that there was a temple on the island (aedina) dedicated to Venus.

It stretches for 50 acres with a maximum altitude of 100 meters.

In the northern slope, facing the Arena, there is a small dock from which a street with a development of 1,700 yards in leading cottages located in the upper area of the island.

The sides with cliffs over 80 feet tall, others rather steep at the base of which is below that, above sea level, erosion on the limestone has created many caves including that of Monaco, the Sardine so named for the many sardines that are found there, where there are stalagmites, the Waterfalls so called precisely because of the continuous sound of water falling, the Lion so named by a rock surrounded the water took the form of a crouching lion, and finally the Grotta Azzurra; which is the largest.

But the most interesting cave of the island, although accessible only to experienced divers, Gargiulo is the Cave, which opens at 18 meters below the sea surface and extends deep into the island for a tens of meters, fully submerged, except for two air bubbles.

Access to part of the cave is also not advisable for divers, except to cave experts.