From the Karst to the Alps: science and discovery

Heading north-east, the journey takes us to Friuli Venezia Giulia, where the Grotta Gigante impresses with its enormous single chamber, so vast that it houses sophisticated scientific pendulums for seismic measurements. A short distance away, the Grotta delle Torri di Slivia offers a more ‘slow’ approach: here, the adventure begins aboard a tractor that crosses the Trieste countryside, taking visitors into a setting rich in stalactites where a protected colony of bats lives. In Lombardy, the Remeron Cave invites you on an almost fairy-tale-like visit, which begins with a refreshing walk through the woods before descending into the bowels of the earth. To the north-west, in Piedmont, the Grotta di Bossea stands out for its important underground laboratory dedicated to the study of water, whilst Liguria offers a glimpse into ancient history with the Grotte di Toirano, famous for the remains of cave bears and the footprints left by Homo sapiens, imprinted in the mud and calcified, dating back some 12,000–14,000 years. Not far away, the Borgio Verezzi Caves enchant visitors with the reflections of the underground lakes and the colourful variety of the stalactites and stalagmites.