Frasassi Grottoes

In 1971, a group of speleologists exploring the Frasassi Gorge made one of the truly amazing discoveries of our century. Speleologists have discovered an unusual labyrinth consisting of underground grottoes and passages. It stretched under the Apennine Mountains for 13 kilometers.

The Frasassi complex includes several cave systems that are different from each other. You can get into this amazing world by an artificial path, which goes more than a kilometer deep into the limestone hills. Passing through a short tunnel in the rock, the eyes of travelers open the entrance to the grandiose grotto, the size of which is comparable to the Milan Cathedral. In the very center of the grotto in the mysterious darkness hides the Anconian abyss, the depth of which remains a mystery to this day. Next to it is the Giant - a huge stalagmite with a deeply dotted surface. Another stalagmite, named after the Mother of God, exceeds the height of any visitor.

Stalagmites grow very slowly. The age of the largest can reach 150-200 thousand years! In the process of growth, they acquire a strange shape, for which speleologists even sometimes give apt names. The color of stalagmites helps determine their composition - white indicates a high concentration of calcium, and red indicates the presence of iron.