As we have mentioned in the introduction, the great karst potential
of the territory is not matched by the presence (or at least the
knowledge) of wide-ranging underground systems in the inland area.
Then again, caves have plaid a key role in the local tradition.
Since sheep farming was very common in the past, many caves were
used as sheep-pens and some even preserve to this day evident
signs of such custom, with well-preserved structures and dry walls.
Today, the caves are still widely used as pens by the sheep farmers
left in the area. The majority of known caves actually fall in
the category of "shelters" - caves wide at the mouth and short
horizontally.
Grotta di San Biagio
The Grotta di San Biagio has been known for ages. Situated on
the eastern slope of the cliff where the village of San Biagio
stands, overlooking the Vallone dell'Isca, the cave, about twenty
metres long, houses a small church and is provided with a basin
for collectng wate r.
Grotta degli Iscolelli
The Grotta degli Iscolelli, 80 metres north of Cala Bianca, is
also used as a pen. A huge portal gives access to a large cave,
whose perimeter exceeds 200 m. The ceiling is crammed with heavily
slanting stalactites, most of which are no longer active. Inside
the cave, among unstable rockfall, is a shaft that leads to a
depth of 75 metres, where no sign of water activity is however
found.
Grotta di Cala Bianca:
the access shaft
In Cala Bianca, at an altitude of 18 metres, along the path that
leads to the Iscolelli, is an easily recognisable cave, a few
metres away from the Santa Caterina spring. A brief shaft leads
to a gallery thick with stalactites. However, the rear of the
gallery is completely filled with sandy deposits that prevent
one from going any further.
In the locality of Manfrejudice, a little farther than the Baia
degli Infreschi, there are caves of great interest. The first
cave, at an altitude of about 155 m. above sea level, consists
of a large shaft leading to a massive gallery over 130 metres
long.
A peculiar aspect here is a large fig tree growing on a heap of
detritus at the bottom of the shaft and with branches coming out
to the surface.
Grotta di Galato
A little further North, at an altitude of 28 metres only, is the
Grotta di Galato, 53 metres long. A narrow opening leads to a
wide chamber rich in concretions.
The Grotta del Trarro
Entrance shaft in
the Grotta del Trarro
This is one of the area's best-known caves. The opening is found
at an altitude of approximately 220 metres, in the locality of
Tranno in the Vallone d'Arconte. A small, almost inaccessible
mouth leads to a 2-metre shaft and then on to a gallery, which
slopes gently at the beginning and then gradually
Thick concretions in the
Grotta del Trarro
becomes stee per. The gall ery hosts a colony of bats. The cavity,
about one hundred metres long, reaches a depth of 18 metres and
is richly decorated with concretions, though many of the stalactites
have been removed or broken in the past to be used as ornaments.
The thick concretions actually deny access to the final portion
of the cave, which grows narrower and eventually becomes impracticable.
The Pozzo di Sant'Antonio
Entrance to a shaft in Monte Bulgheria
This abyss is found along the bed of a stream that runs from the
upland of Vestieli down to wards Ponte Sant'Angelo, a little downstream
from the town of Camerota. The entrance is at an altitude of 318
m. In case of floods, the abyss receives all stream waters, making
explorations during heavy rainfall rather dangerous. The initial
section of the abyss consists of a sloping meander, followed by
some drops and a 6 metre shaft. At 22 metres of depth is another
shaft with round section, measuring 34 metres. The bottom of the
shaft is occluded by debris through which the water percolates
in the event of flood. The overall depth is 54 metres.
