Discovering the Itria Valley in Puglia does not just mean enjoying the sun, beaches and excellent food. And the cultural and natural beauties that this area can offer are not only on the surface - between the olive groves and the sea - but also underground, in caves that offer something extraordinary and indicative of how much the force of nature is able to achieve.
Located in the Municipality of Castellana-Grotte, in the province of Bari, at the entrance of the Itria Valley, the Grotte di Castellana is a path of about 3 km to be done on foot, for 60 meters deep, at a constant temperature of about 16 -18 degrees, along which there is a succession of unique concretions and limestone formations.

The formation of these caves is attributable to the water and the dripping process that has determined, over millennia, the development of concretions, i.e. the coating of the walls of the caves by limestone deposits.

The dripping water falling on the ground leaves, both on the vault and on the floor, a deposit of calcium carbonate which allows the growth of stalactites, the formations hanging from the ceiling and the underlying stalagmites. Over time, the progressive growth of stalactite and stalagmite will lead to their union and the formation of a column.

The shapes can be the most diverse and inside the caves there are several examples: legs and feet of ballerinas, a she-wolf, an owl, drapery of cloth and everything that our eye and our imagination can imagine.

It is an amazing scenario, where caves with fantastic names, canyons, deep abysses, fossils, stalactites, stalagmites, concretions with incredible shapes and surprising colors stimulate the imagination of children and adults.
 

WHEN TO GO
In the summer, when there are more than 30 ° C outside and only 16 under the caves, it is the best time to visit them, also because of the summer holidays in Puglia. In August and September there are many appointments for those who want to make a visit, but the most fascinating are those at night when Speleonights are organized.

It is an exclusive visit to the Grotte di Castellana that takes place at night (it starts at 10 pm and the tour lasts between two and three hours), for long stretches in the dark and for groups of at least 15 people. It is carried out after closing to the public to ensure maximum silence and emotions.
A real tourist experience, to feel like the first explorers who set foot there for the first time. Visitors are guided by the guides of the Puglia Grotte Group equipped with helmet, canister and acetylene lighting: this serves to show, along the walk, the colors, sensations and emotions experienced by those who discovered the Castellana caves 80 years ago.

After walking down a staircase, you enter the first cave, the "Grave", which is the only one to communicate with the outside world. A real natural pantheon in front of which one remains open-mouthed and feels very small. The impact is immediately thrilling. After passing the Grave, you enter a system of corridors and caves, one different from the other for the particularity of the shapes and minerals.
First you enter the Grotta della Lupa, then in the cavern of monuments, at this point you make a detour from the usual tourist itinerary and you enter the Cave of coral concretions of rare beauty. From here you go to the Owl cave and then to the precipice cave. Then you enter the corridor of the desert in total darkness to emerge in the Cave of the Tower of Pisa.
 
Follow the dome cave and then the white cave, a real jewel which can be accessed from a small portal carved into an imposing alabaster wall. Although there is no external light, this cave, of a pure white, has in itself a very particular brightness given by the white stalactites that cover it.
 
Speleologists guide the participants on a unique excursion, during which you can listen to the sounds of the cave and see the fauna that populates it.
 
The Castellana Caves are considered the most spectacular in Italy.