Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

Exploring the Frasassi caves, Italy's largest and most famous complex cave system

One hour from Ancona, in the Marche region, is the town of Genga; with a population of less than 2,000 people, the Gengarini are literally standing on top of one of Europe’s most spectacular sights: Grotte di Frasassi. You can easily imagine yourself to be in a Jules Verne novel as you travel through the Frasassi caves, Italy's largest and most famous complex cave system. Dating as far back as 180 million years ago and extending for 35 km, this subterranean world of calcareous rock formations first opened to the public in 1974, and visitor numbers have just passed the ten million mark; that’s an impressive average of 256,400 people each year.[...]

Italy's most spectacular caverns are the Grotte di Frasassi in the region ofLe Marche, about 65 kilometers inland from Ancona. Stunning stalactites and stalagmites fill the rooms that can be visited on a guided tour of the caves along a well-lit pathway. More adventurous explorers can sign up for a Speleo Adventure Tour. See Visiting Frasassi Caves for information about how to tour these fantastic caverns and see a couple of photos.

There are several interesting sights near Frasassi Caves including a museum, 1th century Romanesque abbey, and the picturesque village and castle of Genga, built on a limestone hill.