Escala de Cabirol and the History of Neptune’s Cave
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Hello! With these first steps, your journey toward Neptune’s Cave begins — a place of wonder and enchantment that will leave you speechless. Before we begin, just a few suggestions: listen to these audio guides using earphones connected to your device, so that you can enjoy the visit while respecting both the site and the other visitors. Also, your smartphone will likely lose signal during the descent — but that is actually a blessing! You will be able to enjoy the adventure without interruptions and, if you wish to take some photos, you can always share them with your friends later. After all, if you chose to reach the Cave by tackling the Escala rather than arriving by boat, you must be someone who enjoys a challenge. Do not worry: it is only 654 steps!
Now let me tell you something more about the path you are following: the staircase is called the Escala del Cabirol, which in the Catalan spoken in Alghero has a double meaning. The first is “roe deer,” and one can imagine that building this route required agility and confidence with heights worthy of such an animal; the second refers to the curling tendril of a vine, which climbs and twists just like the staircase itself.
You should know that throughout the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century, the Cave was already an essential stop for anyone visiting Sardinia: whether curious adventurers, wealthy aristocrats, or explorers arriving from across Europe, before the construction of the Escala everyone was forced to reach it by sea.
As Enrico Costa — the Sardinian writer and journalist who visited the Cave at the end of the nineteenth century — tells us, the journey lasted several hours, and the boats were certainly nothing like today’s. Usually, those setting off from the port of Alghero toward Capo Caccia waited until nightfall, mainly for two reasons: in the hope of finding calm seas, and because it is at night that the Sirens sleep. True, some say that Sirens do not exist, but it is equally true that the sea, when stirred by the libeccio or maestrale winds, can become a difficult enemy to face. Calm nights were therefore ideal, when not even the faintest breath of wind blew and the boats glided peacefully across the water — much to the delight of the passengers and the frustration of the sailors, who had to row and pray that at least a gentle breeze would rise.
It was during the 1950s, when all of Sardinia was seeking to develop its tourism industry, that it became necessary to find an alternative to the uncomfortable — and not always possible — boat crossings, both for the people of Alghero and for the many future visitors.
You have probably noticed a plaque placed near the first flights of steps: it was installed in 1954 to celebrate the construction of the Escala, described as the “driving force behind the fortunes of the emerging Sardinian tourism industry.” A pioneering idea for its time.
Even today, the stories that the people of Alghero love to tell about the construction works and the protagonists of this remarkable undertaking are among the most varied and fascinating. Often, with the irony so typical of Alghero, they emphasise both the great danger involved in the project and the skill and expertise demonstrated by the engineers and workers who took part in it.
But how long does this descent take? Sooner or later, everyone asks themselves that question. The route stretches for more than 470 metres, the difference in height between the start and the finish is about 110 metres, and the average gradient is 40%. And the steps? As already mentioned, there are 654 of them, although, as often happens, some people count more and others fewer. And you? Are you keeping count? Perhaps it is better to focus on the view and leave the calculations for the slower and more tiring climb back up.
Consider that the imposing limestone cliff you are walking alongside first emerged from the sea at the end of the Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago. This means it has been here practically forever. Its present shapes are the result of a process of formation and erosion that has taken place over all that time, together with clear karst phenomena.
Time, then, is what shaped all of this: it is the undisputed protagonist of this visit. Alongside water and stone. This is how Enrico Costa described it:
“The sea beneath those boulders is bottomless, forever restless, furious, and of such a deep turquoise colour that it leaves an impression upon you. You would think it wished to bring down the colossal mass of stone, and that since the creation of the world it has persisted in this titanic attempt; yet the giant cliff looks upon the sea with disdain and seems not to care for its threats. The eternal trembling kisses of those waves, together with their furious lashes, have succeeded in eroding the base of the proud giant, but it remains unshakable. It threatens with a glance, but does not move, for it disdains measuring itself against the weak and the small.”
Small and weak: that is how one feels during this descent. Yet at the same time, incredibly fortunate. And this is only the beginning: because if it is true that descents usually lead to Hell, well, here exactly the opposite happens, and when you finally catch sight of the entrance to the Cave, you will find yourself in a place very close to Paradise.
Now let me tell you something more about the path you are following: the staircase is called the Escala del Cabirol, which in the Catalan spoken in Alghero has a double meaning. The first is “roe deer,” and one can imagine that building this route required agility and confidence with heights worthy of such an animal; the second refers to the curling tendril of a vine, which climbs and twists just like the staircase itself.
You should know that throughout the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century, the Cave was already an essential stop for anyone visiting Sardinia: whether curious adventurers, wealthy aristocrats, or explorers arriving from across Europe, before the construction of the Escala everyone was forced to reach it by sea.
As Enrico Costa — the Sardinian writer and journalist who visited the Cave at the end of the nineteenth century — tells us, the journey lasted several hours, and the boats were certainly nothing like today’s. Usually, those setting off from the port of Alghero toward Capo Caccia waited until nightfall, mainly for two reasons: in the hope of finding calm seas, and because it is at night that the Sirens sleep. True, some say that Sirens do not exist, but it is equally true that the sea, when stirred by the libeccio or maestrale winds, can become a difficult enemy to face. Calm nights were therefore ideal, when not even the faintest breath of wind blew and the boats glided peacefully across the water — much to the delight of the passengers and the frustration of the sailors, who had to row and pray that at least a gentle breeze would rise.
It was during the 1950s, when all of Sardinia was seeking to develop its tourism industry, that it became necessary to find an alternative to the uncomfortable — and not always possible — boat crossings, both for the people of Alghero and for the many future visitors.
You have probably noticed a plaque placed near the first flights of steps: it was installed in 1954 to celebrate the construction of the Escala, described as the “driving force behind the fortunes of the emerging Sardinian tourism industry.” A pioneering idea for its time.
Even today, the stories that the people of Alghero love to tell about the construction works and the protagonists of this remarkable undertaking are among the most varied and fascinating. Often, with the irony so typical of Alghero, they emphasise both the great danger involved in the project and the skill and expertise demonstrated by the engineers and workers who took part in it.
But how long does this descent take? Sooner or later, everyone asks themselves that question. The route stretches for more than 470 metres, the difference in height between the start and the finish is about 110 metres, and the average gradient is 40%. And the steps? As already mentioned, there are 654 of them, although, as often happens, some people count more and others fewer. And you? Are you keeping count? Perhaps it is better to focus on the view and leave the calculations for the slower and more tiring climb back up.
Consider that the imposing limestone cliff you are walking alongside first emerged from the sea at the end of the Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago. This means it has been here practically forever. Its present shapes are the result of a process of formation and erosion that has taken place over all that time, together with clear karst phenomena.
Time, then, is what shaped all of this: it is the undisputed protagonist of this visit. Alongside water and stone. This is how Enrico Costa described it:
“The sea beneath those boulders is bottomless, forever restless, furious, and of such a deep turquoise colour that it leaves an impression upon you. You would think it wished to bring down the colossal mass of stone, and that since the creation of the world it has persisted in this titanic attempt; yet the giant cliff looks upon the sea with disdain and seems not to care for its threats. The eternal trembling kisses of those waves, together with their furious lashes, have succeeded in eroding the base of the proud giant, but it remains unshakable. It threatens with a glance, but does not move, for it disdains measuring itself against the weak and the small.”
Small and weak: that is how one feels during this descent. Yet at the same time, incredibly fortunate. And this is only the beginning: because if it is true that descents usually lead to Hell, well, here exactly the opposite happens, and when you finally catch sight of the entrance to the Cave, you will find yourself in a place very close to Paradise.
