One of the largest caves in Europe
In the hinterland of Ancona, near the village of Genga, in the gorge carved by the Sentino river through the limestone mountains of the Apennines, the Grotte di Frasassi are one of the largest and most spectacular show caves in Europe, part of the Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi Regional Park. They were discovered in September 1971 by a group of young speleologists from the Italian Alpine Club of Ancona, who, following a draught of air coming from a crack in the rock, descended into an immense, unexplored underground world, formed over 1.4 million years by the slow action of water containing sulphuric acid, which dissolved the limestone.
The first room they found, the Abisso Ancona, is one of the largest underground chambers in Europe: about 180 metres long, 120 wide and 200 high, so vast that, it is said, Milan Cathedral could fit inside it. The guided tour, about one and a half kilometres long and lasting about 75 minutes, along comfortable paths and stairways, leads through a succession of extraordinary environments, full of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies, small lakes and crystals of every shape and colour, from white to pink and orange, with fantastic names such as the "Giganti", the giants, huge stalagmites over 20 metres high, the "Candeline", the little candles, a group of slender white stalagmites rising from a small lake, the "Sala dell'Infinito", the "Castle of the Witch" and the "Organ Pipes". The temperature inside is a constant 14 degrees all year round. More adventurous visitors can take the speleological route, with helmet and torch.
Tip: bring a jacket, it's cool inside even in summer; book tickets online in high season, especially in August.
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