The Grotta Bianca ("white cave") is a sea cave located on the island of

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It derives its name from white incrustations of calcareous matter upon its sides, and from clusters of white

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

s which hang from the roof and fringe the entrance. The cave faces east and is situated near the Punta della Chiavica. The entry, about high, leads into upper and lower caves, of which the former is not easily accessible. The lower cave can be entered by boat for a short distance. Unlike most other caves at the water-level, it is much broader at approximately above the water than actually at the surface. The total height is no more than . The upper erosion line is clearly marked near the cave and within it. The upper cave seems to belong to an earlier period. According to the book ''

The Sicilian ''The Sicilian'' is a novel by American author Mario Puzo. Published in 1984 by Random House Publishing Group (), it is based on the life of Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano. It is set in the same universe as Puzo's most famous work, ''The G ...

'' by Mario Puzo, the Grotta Bianca is where

Salvatore Giuliano Salvatore Giuliano (; Sicilian: Turiddu or Sarvaturi Giulianu; 16 November 1922 – 5 July 1950) was an Italian bandit, who rose to prominence in the disorder that followed the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. In September of that year, Giul ...

, the famous Sicilian bandit, stayed during his first nights as an outlaw after shooting dead an armed national policeman. Although the book is dramatized, many believe some information in it is true, with regards to Giuliano.

References

Caves of Campania Capri, Campania {{Italy-geo-stub