The Caves of Tuscany

Tuscany is one of those places with so much going on, it's easy to miss a lot of incredible things. With all its hidden natural wonders, becoming well-informed before you go is the best way to ensure that you won't miss a thing. Finding the out of the way spots and local favorites are what will make your trip truly memorable.

Tuscans are amazingly warm, friendly people - the tour guides you meet will exemplify this time and again. Their zest and passion for life is apparent in everything - their lifestyles, the music, the food and wine, the art and their appreciation for their country's wonders - especially its caves.

One of the finest of these cavernous wonders is La Grotta del Vento. In 1932, a band of Florentine speleologists excavated the Buca del Vento ("wind hole"). The band traveled 70 meters down before discovering a lake. Thirty years later, the lake had dried and left behind an incredible array of stalactites and calcite concretions, calcite "curtains" and enormous shafts. More than 4 kilometers of tunnels within the cave have been explored, but only a kilometer is open to the public. Still - it's an amazing kilometer, and well worth the fee (beginning at 25,000 lira/person, about $14.50 U.S.)

Tours begin with a blast of cool air as guides open a door and lead you into the caverns. There are three tours, each one, two and three hours, respectively, that run twice a day.

The one-hour tour runs briefly through a series of horizontal passages, bringing tourists and locals alike into a unique and almost magical world of concretions and stalactites, some resembling ice picks.

The two-hour tour ventures deeper into the grotta. And by deeper, I mean deep - the stairs seem to go straight down. This tour is not for the light-hearted, nor the clumsy. (Extremely sturdy shoes are recommended. Rubber sneakers, preferably with a firm tread, or hiking boots are your best bet.) On this tour, you won't see as many concretions, but more the shadowy residue remaining from waters that flooded the caves during particularly rainy years. What you will discover are that your smallest, most insignificant sounds will echo and resound throughout the area and glints of water beaming everywhere you look, captured by thin streams of light. The smell is actually quite fresh, bringing tourists and locals back to a time in which they wished they knew - a time where nature ruled. The highlight of the two-hour tour is the epitome of this natural Italian experience. The Acheron, a small stream running through a portion of the grotta, vanishes into cobble, leaving visitors awed and mystified.

For those with a lesser amount of stamina or some seriously hopeless romantics, the journey to the Well of Infinity, an underground waterfall, is well worth the time and effort. Tourists looking to visit the well can only do so on this three-hour tour. For this tour, also, be prepared to get wet - the well splatters, but it's an amazing sight, well worth the cost of getting wet. Local legend says that visiting the well with your true love and being splattered while clasping hands means you are destined to remain with your love for eternity. After leaving the waterfall, this tour follows the same route as that of the previous tour, which will tie up about another hour and 45 minutes. The Well of Infinity is an amazing sight - if you're touring Italy as a couple, it's an absolute must! This is also the best tour to take if you're not willing to climb hundreds and hundreds of stairs in a shorter period of time.

To get to the La Grotta del Vento, you must take the road from Lucca to Castelnuovo Garfagnana, and exit at Gallicano for Fornovolasco. I strongly recommend making reservations for the tour, especially if you're traveling to Italy during the heavy tourist season. Be sure to call ahead for exact times and prices. (IT 583) 722024.

Information courtesy of author and www.firenze.net.

For more information on the Web, visit: Caving in Italy.