Italy
Genga

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    • Day 17

      Grotte di Frasassi

      October 14 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

      … und die Relationen gehen verloren.
      In Bezug auf die Höhe hätte zum Beispiel der Eiffelturm Platz in der Grotte - in einer der Hallen könnte man sogar ohne Schwierigkeiten den Mailänder Dom unterbringen.
      Es war nicht einfach „noch eine Tropfsteinhöhle“ - wir waren sehr beeindruckt.
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    • Day 12

      Von Genga nach Fabriano

      January 31 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      Hier im Talkessel geht die Sonne etwas später auf und es war wieder kalt heute Nacht.
      Wenn aber die Sonne rauskommt ist es angenehm(r). Schnell lege ich unsere Solarpanel ins Fenster und schon bald ist die Batterie wieder geladen.

      Nach dem Frühstück drehen wirklich eine Runde mit den Hunden und ich wartete auf die Besichtigung der Höhle.
      Wir haben gestern eine Runde Schach gespielt: Wer gewinnt, darf sich den Termin aussuchen. 11.30 Uhr oder 15.30 Uhr.
      Ich habe mich dann für den ersten Termin entschieden 😂🫢

      Es geht mit dem Bus zum Höhleneingang und es ist tatsächlich die größte Tropfsteinhöhle die ich je gesehen habe. Und ich war schon in einigen, darf ich behaupten.

      Es war teilweise so, als hätte jemand tonnenweise Wachs ausgeschüttet. Soviel Flächen voller Tropfstein, Stalaktiten (von oben nach unten wachsend😉) Stalagmiten und kleinen Seen.

      Einfach toll und echt einen Besuch wert.

      Nach 2 Stunden bin ich wieder zurück. Gabi hat sich derweil in der italienischen Sprache verbessert und im Reiseführer neue Abenteuer für uns ausgesucht. Ich bin gespannt und dankbar für ihre Mühen und Ausdauer dabei. 😘

      Gabi besucht die Tropfsteinhöhle um 15.30 Uhr und ist nachher genauso begeistert wie ich.
      Sie hat sich während des Besuchs verquatscht mit einer anderen Deutschen und verpasst dadurch den Bus zurück zum Platz.

      Ich gabel Gabi auf und wir fahren nach Fabriano, da es dort 2 Stellplätze geben soll mit Strom und Wasser. Leider sind beide Plätze ohne jegliche Funktion. Danke Fabriano für nix!🤮
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    • Day 11

      Von Fano nach Genga

      January 30 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

      Heute geht es von Fano nach Genga. Zuvor aber zuerst heißt es eine Tankstelle oder einen Ort zu finden wo wir entweder die italienische Gasflasche tauschen oder die deutsche Flasche Befüllen können, oder am besten sogar beides. Eine 10kg Flasche hält im Winter so 5 Tage und heute Nacht war es dann soweit.

      Die ersten gegoogelten Möglichkeiten haben alle keine GPL Gas.
      Wir fahren einen geöffneten Campingplatz an. Leider hat dieser auch keine Gasflaschen, bekommen aber eine Adresse in Fano, der Stadt wo wir gerade herkommen. Dafür fahren wir 15km zurück, aber wat mot dat mot. 😏
      In Fano selber sehen wir ein paar Karnevalswagen und lesen später, das es die älteste "Karnevalsstadt" Italiens ist. Seit dem 1300 Jahrhundert wir dort gefeiert. 😳🥸

      Wir finden die Tankstelle und haben endlich Nachschub.

      Die Fahrt nach Genga geht über die Mautobahn. Hier in Genga gibt es eine der größten Tropfsteinhöhlen Europas und die werden wir besuchen. Die Grotte de Frasassi öffnet allerdings erst Morgen und daher haben wir uns schon 2 Tickets online gebucht, aber wegen der Hunde zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten. Ich gehe um 11.30 Uhr und Gabi um 15.30 Uhr.
      Wir stehen hier Mutterseelen allein auf einen riesigen Parkplatz und harren der Dinge.

      Eine kleine Ausflug zu einer nahegelegenen Schlucht scheitert allerdings, da es keinen Zugang gibt und so fahren wir zurück zu unserem Parkplatz und spielen mit dem Hunden und was man sonst noch so alles macht.
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    • Day 29

      Temple of Valadier

      June 6, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Tucked away just inside the mouth of the Frasassi Cave, sits Giuseppe Valadier's neo-classical Temple. The domed roof of the octagonal Temple of Valadier enshrines a replica of the marble statue of the Madonna and Child by Antonio Canova within, while the original has been moved to the Civic Museum of Genga. Although the shrine is a recent addition, built in 1828 at the instruction of Pope Leo XII, the caves have long been a place of refuge for locals fleeing attacks. Following its establishment, the chapel came to be a place of pilgrimage for those seeking forgiveness, earning it the moniker "Refuge of Sinners". The Temple of Valadier remains a place of refuge to this day, its precise design a stark contrast to the rugged walls it shelters behind. A small hermitage sits just outside the cave.Read more

    • Day 30

      Il Bivacco Frasassi, Genga

      September 28, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Getting to our accommodation after our day of sight-seeing was quite an adventure. It wasn't in the main town of Genga but off a road beforehand in a little commune. The road to our B&B was in fact a laneway and we had to manoeuvre a maze of very tight laneways to get there. It was an experience but Brad mastered the driving very well and at the very top of the hill was our very cute accommodation for the night.

      Our hosts weren't onsite when we arrived but had made sure the fire was burning and our apartment was ready. It had actually started to cool down after the heat we had been experiencing and it was very nice. Our apartment had a real homely feel and it had everything we needed for our night's stay. We quickly dumped our bags and headed out to explore this little piece of heaven we had found ourselves in.

      The quaint houses were made of stone and as we stepped out of our accommodation we came face to face with the local church. We wandered down the stone lanes, admired the breathtaking views, visited the Piazza Coriolano Bruffa and the remains of a tower, and fell in love with the area. This is what I imagined country Italy to be.

      We decided to try the local restaurant for dinner, being quite surprised there even was a restaurant in this area due to the lack of homes and customers surrounding it. We also
      discovered Italian time, with the restaurant sign stating it opens at 7pm when that really means it opens when they feel like it. Thankfully they finally did open and we enjoyed a delicious dinner and bottle of wine before making the steep walk back up to our B&B. I must say it was one of the most authentic Italian restaurants we have been in with every wall covered with photos and art, and every surface covered with knick-knacks, a stuffed animal or two, and lots of lace curtains. It has a real Italian charm and the staff were fabulous. It was the perfect way to end a very enjoyable day.

      The next morning our lovely hostess brought us down a breakfast tray with everything we could need to start the day. The love heart coffee mugs were another cute touch. We were sad to be leaving this beautiful area and we would recommend this place to anyone visiting the region.
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    • Day 18

      Cagli, Frasissi Caves and Frontone

      September 17, 2018 in Italy ⋅ 23 °C

      Day 15
      With an overcast start to the day we decided to cross country to explore the Grotte di Frasassi (discovered in 1971), unfortunately the pics do not do it justice- it was amazing and the chambers inside huge.

      We stopped ‘off the tourist path’ for lunch and with no menu to refer to we eventually sat down, amongst the Italian families, to tagliatelle al ragu and vino Rosso.

      Finished the day visiting the castle at Frontone, which you can see from our accomodation, taking in the wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.

      Spent the evening in our cosy chapel as as thunder and lightening surrounded us.
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    • Day 30

      Grotte di Frasassi, Genga

      September 28, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      We farewelled Siena and picked up the hire car this morning, and hit the road once again. This time we had an automatic car so it was a bit easier. We are still very confused about the speed limits in Italy as no-one seems to obey them, especially where there are roadworks taking place. The 40km zones meant nothing to the Italian drivers and we often held them up by adhering to the speed limits. We did not want to arrive home to heaps of speeding tickets.

      We made our way to Genga today, 50 kilometres from Ancona, the capital of Le Marche. On the agenda today was a visit to the Grotte di Frasassi, the Frasassi Caves, one of the largest subterranean cave systems in Europe. The caves were discovered in 1971 and have been open to public since 1974. While more than 18 kilometres of the caves have been explored, just 1 kilometre is open for a guided public tour–a fairly easy walk, with stairs and ramps built around the stunning stalactites and stalagmites. Strategic lighting highlights some of the most spectacular formations, which take various forms and shapes. There are formations that resemble the Grand Canyon, the Niagara Falls, the leaning tower of Pisa, various animals and more. The main cavern is massive; apparently it can fit the entire Cathedral of Milan, the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world! Further inside, there’s a cave whose floor is covered with small stalagmites, giving the impression that there are hundreds of candles. At some points the limestone formations hanging from the roof of the cave are so thin that they look like delicate sheets or veils.

      We were very lucky once again that there were only four other people on our English speaking tour so we really got to enjoy the caves without being overcrowded. Unfortunately photos just don't do it justice, they don't convey the sheer size of the caves or the beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites, the way they glisten and shimmer. Photos don't show how crystal clear the water is and the way the stalagmites reflect upon their surface. This truly is a magical place and the best cave system we have ever seen. One of the highlights of our trips.
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    • Day 36–37

      Caves Grotte Di Frassassi

      April 23 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      Free sosta at the caves
      Drove inland to see these amazing caves. They extend 30km into the mountains but the tour involves 1.5km. Quite staggering in size and complexity.

    • Day 30

      Santuario Madonna di Frasassi, Genga

      September 28, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Next stop was to find the temple in a cave that I had seen online. I had read it was near the entrance of the Frasassi Caves but in actual fact we could not walk to it from the caves and had to catch the bus back to the car park and drive, in the hopes it would be easy to find. Considering how windy and narrow the roads were we were a bit concerned we wouldn't be able to park anywhere but thankfully the Sanctuary was properly signed and there was parking, a bit of a surprise considering how hard it has been to find other sites in Italy.

      The Sanctuary of Santa Maria infra Saxa and the Tempietto Valadier are two sanctuaries and chapels located at the entrance of the Frasassi Caves, but not the main entrance. The sign said that it was only a 700m walk to the sanctuary and the temple, but it failed to say that the walk was straight up. I really earned my piece of pizza today. The walk was exhausting and Brad was not impressed so I was crossing my fingers it was worth it. I'm not sure Brad throught so but I was pretty impressed when we rounded the final corner and there in the entrance to a cave was the temple.

      The Tempietto is a small octagonal temple commissioned in 1828 by Pope Leo XII, who was originally from Genga. The white marble structure once housed a marble statue of the Madonna and Child by the studio of Antonio Canova, but has since been substituted with a copy, with the original now on display in the civic museum of Genga.

      Behind the temple, the cave continued back in tiers, with steps leading up to the insides of the caves. On the tiers were hundred of cairns, human-made stacks of stone built as a memorial or landmark, and it was pretty cool.

      The hermitage of Santa Maria Infra Saxa, Sanctuary of Madonna di Frasassi,
      is located not far from the temple, on a ledge at the entrance to the cave. The sanctuary is ancient; it is cited in documents from 1029. It is a simple stone structure built by Benedictine monks to house a burned image of the Madonna. The one room of the sanctuary was formed by being carved into the rock and it isn't until you go into the sanctuary that you grasp how it was actually built. Once again I am amazed of the history of this place. I think it was worth the long walk up and thankfully the walk down was a bit easier.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Genga, Джэнга, Дженга, La Genga, Ջենգա, ジェンガ, Ђенга, 真加

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