08/12/2026
📍Castellana Grotte, Puglia 🇮🇹🪨
Our tour guide actually said: “Don’t worry if you feel lightheaded, your legs feel heavy, or you feel like you might die… that’s all normal. There’s just less oxygen down here.” 😳
And honestly… THANKS for telling us after we were already deep underground.
The Grotte di Castellana are one of the most spectacular cave systems in Italy, and since the locals stayed away thinking it was a gateway to the underworld, they weren’t officially explored until January 23, 1938, when speleologist Franco Anelli descended into La Grave, the enormous entrance cavern, and discovered passages leading deep into the underground system.
And after spending days in the Puglian heat, this was one place we didn’t need our Kerr-Chiefs for cooling off since it’s a constant 63•F.
So basically: mother nature’s AC, slightly oxygen-deprived, mildly terrifying…
10/10 would do it again. 🇮🇹
VisitItaly PugliaTravel ItalianSummer CaveExploration
