Guide to the Frasassi Caves in Italy

Deep under the hills of Italy’s Marche region, you’ll find a subterranean world of delicate calcareous sculptures and fairytale spires.

This ethereal wonderland—known as the Frasassi Caves (or Grotte di Frasassi in Italian)—is one of Europe’s largest cave systems and a highlight of travel to Central Italy.

The Frasassi Caves are rich in whimsical formations. Gouged out by the Sentino River over the course of 150 million years, their sculpted chambers rival the most intricate on Earth.

 

THE GROTTE DI FRASASSI

The Grotte di Frasassi are located in the Marche Region of Italy, merely 15 minutes from my mom’s hometown of Fabriano.

The caves are an underrated hidden gem. And I’m not saying that because they are in the backyard of the area I played in every summer as a child.

The stalagmite-filled caves are truly incredible. Some of the best I’ve seen in all of my travels (they’re right up there with the Jeita Grotto in Lebanon).

The caves are the defining feature of the Gola di Frasassi—a steep gorge cut by the river.

The karst cave system includes the Cave of the River and the Big Cave of the Wind. Its full name in Italian is Grotta del Fiume–Grotta Grande del Vento di Frasassi.

Commonly, you’ll hear it referred to simply as Frasassi, or Le Grotte.

 

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

The Frasassi Caves began forming millions of years ago, thanks to a mix of rainwater and erosion from the sulfurous Sentino River.

Rainwater trickled and seeped through tiny fractures in the limestone hills, gradually widening them. Where the water encountered horizontal fractures, it formed underground streams and excavated long tunnels with connecting caverns.

The mineral-rich waters dissolved the limestone and chiseled subterranean chambers over time.

The karst mountainsides surrounding the Frassassi Gorge conceal an abundance of caves and cavities.

While some of them have been known to the local population for centuries, the massive Frasassi Caves complex is a somewhat recent discovery.

 

DISCOVERY OF THE FRASASSI CAVES

Frasassi’s subterranean world first opened to the public in 1974, shortly after a group of Italian speleologists from Ancona discovered the caverns on accident.

One day, Maurizio Bolognini was hiking around Monte Frasassi, when he noticed an unusual hole in the mountain.

On a following visit, he and fellow mountaineers were able to dig a tunnel large enough to pass through the hole. Then, using a homemade rope ladder, they descended into the karst abyss.

FRASASSI CAVES TOUR ROUTE

The Frasassi Caves tourist route follows a 1.5 km path through Italy’s subterranean wonderland.

The tour begins in the cavernous Ancona Abyss—the largest cave in Europe. The abyss is so vast that it could easily house the entire Duomo of Milan. This is the place where Bolognini first descended by rope ladder, laying eyes on the 65ft tall stalagmites known as the Giants.

Walking through the Grotte’s dimly-lit underworld is like entering a fantasyland. The intricately-adorned chambers are brimming with calcareous formations. Stalagmites rise from the cave floor like melted candles, while stalactites hang from its ceiling like Spanish moss.

As you progress, you will visit several chambers within the cave system.

Each of these rooms boasts mineral masterpieces.

Noteworthy formations include Niagara Falls—a huge mass made of pure white calcite—and sculptures that resemble castles, bears, organ pipes, camels, and witches.

Toward the end of the tour, you’ll stop by the Hall of Candles—a visually stunning room that features small candle-like stalagmites reflected on glassy pools of water.

 

FRASASSI CAVES TOURS AND TICKETS

English-language tours of the Frasassi Caves depart at 11:40AM, 1:40PM and 3:40PM daily from mid-May to June. In July and August, there is an additional 5:15PM departure.

During the low season, tours are only in Italian, though English-language audioguides remain available.

The cost of visiting the Frasassi Caves is 18 euros per person.

Until recently, the Grotte di Frasassi didn’t allow personal photography.

As of my last visit, however, the policy seems to have changed.

 

SPELUNKING IN THE FRASASSI CAVES

Most people visit the Frasassi Caves as part of a standard guided tour.

But if you have an adventurous spirit, you can also choose from two spelunking excursions.

• SPELEO-ADVENTURE BLUE PATH: Aimed at people who are looking to get their feet wet with speleology, the blue path tour is of easy/medium difficulty. The two hour tour includes climbing, drifts, narrow passages and slides.
• SPELEO-ADVENTURE RED PATH: The red path caters to adventure-seekers who have some prior spelunking experience. The tour is three hours long and considered moderately difficult. It includes a rope climb.

Spelunking tours of the Frasassi Caves must be booked in advance. I imagine you’d want to avoid these excursions if you are claustrophobic or uneasy in tight spaces.

 

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE GOLA DELLA ROSSA

Frasassi lies along a beautiful river gorge. It is the centerpiece of the Gola della Rossa Regional Park—a wilderness area that boasts hiking trails, hot springs, historic temples, and picturesque towns.

If you’re a lover of off-the-beaten-path travel, you’ll find plenty of additional things to do in the area.

• TEMPLE OF VALADIER

The Temple of Valadier, commissioned by Pope Leo XII of Genga, was built in 1828. It lies inside a natural cavern in the Gola della Rossa Park, at the end of a 700 meter paved pathway.

The octagonal domed church was entirely built in travertine blocks. Its angular neo-classical silhouette stands in stark contrast to the cavern’s rough walls.

The chapel once housed a marble statue of the Madonna and child, produced by the studio of Antonio Canova.

Today, however, it has been replaced by a replica. Its original can be found in a museum in nearby Genga.

Next to the Valadier Temple is also the Hermitage of Santa Maria Infra Saxa. The small monastery dates back to 1029.

• SAN VITTORE TOWN

San Vittore is the closest town to the Frasassi Caves. It straddles the Sentino River, a few miles from the entrance to the natural monument.

The picturesque small town boasts a Roman bridge and a historic abbey. The abbey—San Vittore alle Chiuse—dates back to the 12th century and contains a mix of the Byzantine and Armenian styles.

In the town you’ll also find a small adventure park with suspended rope bridges and zip lines.

 

WHERE TO STAY NEAR THE FRASASSI CAVES

The accommodation options near Frasassi are a mix of hotels, agriturismos, and B&Bs. If you’re looking to stay within a few miles of the cave’s entrance, the Hotel le Grotte, the Hotel Terme di Frasassi and B&B Bivacco Frasassi are probably your best bets.

A little bit farther away, you’ll find a wider array of accommodation options.

If you’re looking for a tranquil countryside escape, the Agriturismo Valdifiore offers a rustic retreat with views of the surrounding mountains.

On a hill above Fabriano, La Castellaia boasts a resort-like setting, a swimming pool, and beautiful panoramas of the Apennines.

 

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If it is your first time traveling to Italy, your itinerary probably consist of stops in Florence, Venice, and Rome. You might even include side trips to the Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast.

After all, most Italy travel itineraries (understandably) focus on the same well-trodden tourist routes.

But just a stone’s throw from the romantic hills of Tuscany, lies a beautiful corner of the country that is little-known outside of Italy.

I’ve been fortunate to visit the Marche year after year throughout my life.

And I want to share it with you, too.

Because I promise that if you travel to this beautiful corner of the world, you’ll be rewarded with some of Italy’s most underrated gems—both above-ground and concealed below the surface of its rolling green mountainsides.