Monumental Waterfall OF Santa Maria di Leuca Apulia - Oggi: 07/01/2009

Leaving behind us the Sanctuary, going down to the town, another important stage is the waterfall surrounded by 2 flights of stairs with 300 steps each, which goes down from the Japigio promontory to the port. The building was wanted by Mussolini to celebrate the end of the construction of the Apulian aqueduct of which the first project of 1868 conceived by the engineer Camillo Rosalba planned the realization of some galleries on the side of the Apennines to convey waters of the Sele to Caposele in province of Avellino. In spite of problems caused by the execution of works, from an economic and structural point of view, in 1915 water arrived in Bari and the following year in Taranto.

The explosion of the first World War involved the suspension of works and only in 1927 the construction of the "Grande Sifone" allowed the arrival of water in Lecce. Between 1931 and 1941 the construction of urban and peripheral ramifications involved the completion of the work. At the end of the flight is situated the Monolithic Roman Column built by the Duce to celebrate the event.