Share

If one of our accommodation in Bagni di Contursi motorway driving in, builds up in front of a spectacular rock massif of the Monti Alburni on. Because of their unique shape of the mountain chain the Dolomiti is campane (Campania Dolomites) and is referred to as its Northern counterpart Italian limestone rich. Natural erosion and karstification provide a wealth of natural caves, and one has about 400, including the most extensive in southern Italy, the Grotta di Civitavecchia and the Angels Grotto (Grotta di Pertosa). And what can one with an anxiety-free 8-year-old in a superhot better organize early summer, with a health badly dressed in a cool 16 degrees to descend cave? Correct: nothing!

So get in the car and drove the few kilometers (36) after Pertosa. The entrance to the slightly higher on the mountain south of Pertosa (the cave is well signposted) is located under water and can only be reached by boat. It takes so cozy place and the first 300 m can be comfortable on the "black river" (fiume negro) ride through the cave - the temperature has still pleasantly refreshing compared to the 40 degrees outside and only towards the end of the guide in "brrr ... overturn cold ". The short tour through the approximately 35 million old cave takes about 1 hour, it is also a detailed tour available which takes about two hours. The currently accessible part of the spectacular limestone formations is about 2.5 km long - by a landslide but by far the largest part of the cave was impassable, and when is exposed in the future of this part again, expanded the accessible part of the cave by a further 8 km to the village of Polla. It is still not the way, managed to locate the origin of the water of the Rio Negro - the corresponding experiments with phosphorescent materials led to results. Therefore you currently working on a unique light installation that provides with variously tuned color play the cave with a very exciting atmosphere. Below in the gallery, I have tried to capture the blue-lit cave once. But I can only say that the whole original a hundred times more impressive works.

Traces of human settlement can be traced back to the Stone Age, most recently the cave served as shelter during air raids in World War II or the earthquake of 1980, which caused immense damage in the Vallo Diano but the cave was spared. A scene from Dario Argento's film "Il Fantasma dell'Opera" was shot in the grotto of the Angel. This summer is the Grotta di Pertosa incidentally mentioned Dante's Inferno, which are visible in the photo gallery dug his hands and feet - like the light installation - a stage decoration. They are made of plaster, but a real highlight is the cave tour dar. All in all, a beautiful limestone cave and a nice alternative for an extremely hot day in Südkampanien. On the official home page of the cave , see "Tour Fotografico" even more beautiful photos.

Links:
Official website of the Grotto dell'Angelo Pertosa
Brief description of the cave on German
The Grotta di Pertosa to Wikipedia
Photos and description in Italian
Campania and Cilento Salerno Travel Guide (pdf)

Images: