Cala Jannita, commonly known and indicated on road signs as "black beach" or "beach of the isle of Santo Janni", is a beach of artificial origin located to north of the "Punta della Matrella" in San Giuseppe, a short walk from the village of Marina di Maratea. This particular area of the coast owes its appellative "black" to the very dark colour of the sand, stones and rocks present, which would (erroneously) suggest a volcanic origin of this part of the coast: in reality it's the particular and different composition of the rocks, in which there is a strong concentration of black fern (combined with the discharge of materials from the construction of the second track of the railway) to give this dark veil to the whole.
The beach is surrounded by dense vegetation and immediately after, going south, you can reach by sea before "The cave of Sciabella", which in turn houses a small beach inside and immediately after "The cave of the turtle", there are also small caves in the north, just after the beach, easily accessible by sea. On the cave of Sciabella are told fascinating legends: the most famous, says that it was used by a local woman, Isabella, to meet with her lovers, who was later discovered and murdered by her husband, who made her fall from the hole that opens on the ceiling of the quarry.
The bathing area is large and sandy and there is both a large stretch of free beach, and others covered by bathing establishments that provide the necessary services to spend a pleasant day at sea. Cala Jannita is famous for being the stretch of the marathon coast where the highest temperatures are recorded throughout the day, both in and out of the water, probably because the dark color attracts more sunshine, so it is the ideal place for lovers of sunbathing and extreme heat.
As for accessibility, the cove can be reached easily on foot after parking your motor vehicle in the spaces in charge free or paid, crossing a road in the thick vegetation that ends with a staircase that leads directly to the see. You have to walk about 400 m to access the free area of the beach, much less taking a shortcut at the beginning of the staircase, on the left, to enter one of the bathing establishments. The beach is not suitable for disabled people and people with motor difficulties, as there are no slides and paths that can facilitate the passage. It is not recommended to enter at night for safety reasons because there is no adequate public lighting along the path, so it's recommended to the most fearless persons to equip themselves with a torch.
