THE GROTTOES

The grottoes

A SYSTEM OF UNDERGROUND CAVERNS

The “Grotte di Castellana”, a vast underground system of karst caves, located approx. 1,5km outside the town of Castellana Grotte, is an important tourist attraction and generally defined as one of the most beautiful and spectacular cave systems of Italy.

The caves extend for 3.348 meters total and reach a maximum depth of 122m below street level. Inside the cave system the temperature stays constantly around 16,5°C.

Close to the Itria Valley, and only a few kilometers from charming villages such as Alberobello, Cisternino and Polignano a Mare, the Castellana Caves are located 330 meters a.s.l. on the south-eastern limestone plateau “Murge” , which began to form during the upper Cretaceous about 90 – 100 million years ago.

The beauty of the Castellana Caves attracts tourists from all over the world and more than 15 million visitors have strolled along the underground paths since the day of their opening to the public. Winding along a 3 km long itinerary, the visit is an exceptional guided tour of the caves reaching more than 70 meters depth, through amazing scenarios made of caverns with fanciful names, canyons, deep abysses, fossils, stalactites, stalagmites, and dripstones of incredible shapes and striking colors, inspiring the imagination of children and adults alike.

Therefor, the Caves of Castellana qualify as an unmissable opportunity to admire one of the most amazing natural heritages of a wonderful Puglia.

Text: Pino Pace, Vincenzo Manghisi

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