The Frasassi Caves: a cathedral underground

Distance

approx. 40 km, about 50 minutes

Duration

Around an hour, 1.5 km route

Bring

A jacket: it is a constant 14 °C inside

Le Marche has one destination that works even when the weather ruins everything else, and that is most impressive precisely when you knew nothing about it beforehand.

What lies down there

The Grotte di Frasassi sit near Genga in the Gola della Rossa e Frasassi regional park. They form a karst cave system of which some 30 kilometres have now been explored, and it was only discovered in 1971. The formations are roughly 1.4 million years old.

The central chamber is called the Abisso Ancona and measures around 180 by 120 metres, about 200 metres high. The standard comparison is that Milan Cathedral would fit inside. It sounds like brochure copy, but it is accurate.

The visit

The tourist route runs about 1.5 kilometres and takes a little over an hour. It passes through the Sala 200, the Sala delle Candeline with its candle-shaped formations, the Sala dell'Orsa and the Sala dell'Infinito.

Down there it stays at a constant 14 degrees with around 90 per cent humidity. In August that feels magnificent, though if you arrive in shorts, only for the first five minutes. A jacket and solid shoes are part of the plan.

Practicalities

The caves are open year-round, with a handful of closure days around early December, Christmas and in January. Since visits run only in guided groups at set times, it is worth checking current times in advance, particularly in the holiday months.

While you are there: above the caves stand the Santuario di Santa Maria infra Saxa and the neoclassical Tempietto del Valadier, built straight into the rock. A short walk that rounds off the trip.