Description of the attraction
Castellana Cave is one of the most famous karst caves in Italy, located in the province of Bari in the Apulia region. More precisely, this is not one cave, but a whole underground labyrinth! It was discovered in 1938 by caver Franco Anelli about 1 km south of the town of Castellana Grotte. The entrance to the labyrinth is a huge vertical tunnel 60 meters long. The main cave is called La Grave - the Abyss, the other three large ones are called Cavern Nera (Black Cave), Cavern Bianca (White Cave) and Cavern del Perchipizio (Cave at the cliff). The total length of the entire karst system is about 3 kilometers! Today it is one of the most visited caves in Italy.
The entire complex is very ancient, about three million years old. During this time, hundreds, if not thousands of stalactites and stalagmites have formed in the dungeons, which amaze with their shapes and sizes. It takes about two hours to walk through the entire labyrinth. From the mine, the path goes to the Nera Cavern, then to the Owl Cave, the Serpentine Corridor, to the Little Paradise and, finally, to the Bianca Cavern - for its sparkling whiteness, this cave is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Inside there is a bust of the same caver Franco Anelli, who discovered and was the first to explore this amazing and mysterious dungeon.
The town of Castellana, located next to the grottoes, is very small, with a population of only about 15 thousand people. And, nevertheless, there is something to see here: the Baroque church of San Francesco and the monastery of Santa Maria della Vetrana stand out.
