Cave Trekking — Grotte di Castellana Full Tour

Cave trekking at the Grotte di Castellana takes visitors through Italy's most celebrated show cave, a 3 km network of underground galleries beneath the Murgia plateau at Castellana Grotte in central Puglia. The route begins in the Grave, a vast chamber 60 m deep whose roof is open to the sky, and continues along a lit walkway past forests of stalactites and stalagmites, narrow passages and great halls such as the Cavern of the Monuments and the Corridor of the Serpent, before culminating in the dazzling white-alabaster Grotta Bianca, often described as the brightest cave in the world. The full guided tour covers about 3 km in roughly two hours; a shorter 1 km tour of around 50 minutes is also offered but does not reach the White Cave. The caves were first explored in 1938 by speleologist Franco Anelli, and multilingual guides explain their geology and discovery along the way. Tours are run by the official Grotte di Castellana operator and leave on a fixed timetable, so advance booking and arriving 15 minutes early are advisable, especially in summer. The underground temperature stays at a constant 15 °C all year, so a light jacket is recommended even in August, and shoes with good grip are essential because the walkway is damp and includes many steps and uneven surfaces. Flash photography is not permitted in the Grotta Bianca to protect the delicate formations. Although the experience is a walk rather than technical caving, the long route with its stairs makes a reasonable level of mobility necessary; visitors with significant mobility or breathing difficulties may prefer the shorter tour. The constant cool air makes the caves a welcome refuge on hot days, and the site combines easily with the trulli of Alberobello and the towns of the Valle d'Itria nearby.