I am lost for words

This morning, we docked in Ancona, Italy. If you drew a line due east from Pisa, to the east coast of Italy, you would just about slice Ancona in half. We took a coach ride abut 45km north and had an experience of a lifetime, a truly mind boggling 2 hours of the most unusual natural scenery we have ever looked at.

We toured the Frasassi Cave Complex, an extraordinary series of huge caves filled with massive stalactites and stalagmites of all shapes and sizes. If geology and geomorphology are things that interest you, these caves are a large Karst mountain complex.

In September 1971, group of young people out for a day hike in the area noticed a cool breeze flowing out of some rocks and bushes near their trail. Curious, they dug around a bit and found a small cave opening that exposed a pitch black hole. They came back the next day with ropes and climbing gear and the rest is history

The caves have been developed into a series of walking paths and viewing points where dramatic use of lights shows off the simply mind boggling subterranean scenery.

For perspective - and these photos simply can’t convey the majesty of these caves, consider these points as you look at the pictures

- the main cave is 240m high and almost and 450m wide
- some of the stalactites, that grow from the top down at a rate of 1mm/year are, 20 metres long
- some of the stalagmites, that grow from the ground up are 60 metres tall
- the temperature is a constant 14C and 97% humidity . . . Water drips everywhere!

We spent 2 hours with a professional guide and loved every minute of it. If you ever get to this part of Italy, do not miss touring these caves.

Venice is in tomorrow’s agenda . . .Read more