The Hermit's Rock in Polignano a Mare, battered by waves in the afternoon light
The Hermit's Rock, also known as the island of San Paolo, is a small limestone islet a short distance off the coast of Polignano a Mare, south of the town centre. Its sheer sides rise to a flat top covered in low vegetation and crowned by a cross. Its name is linked to the legend of a hermit who chose the islet as a place to live and meditate. The rock is a nesting site for seabirds and is protected as a Special Protection Area within the Natura 2000 network. The photograph was taken from the rocky shore opposite the islet, close to sea level. In the foreground, dark rocks worn by the water frame the stretch of rough sea between the shore and the islet. A wave breaks against the base of the rock. The late-afternoon light in late September illuminates the side facing the coast beneath a cloudless sky.
