The Grotta del Cavallone, also known as the Grotta della Figlia di Jorio, is a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located near

Lama dei Peligni Lama dei Peligni is a '' comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy with 1,155 inhabitants. It is also part of the Aventino-Medio Sangro mountain community and the municipal territory is included in the Majella Nati ...

, in the

province of Chieti The province of Chieti ( it, provincia di Chieti; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Chieti, which has a population of 50,770 inhabitants. The province has a total population of 387,649 ...

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is open during the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.

Overview

The cave lies within the mountains of the

Majella National Park Maiella National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale della Maiella) is a national park located in the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila, in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. It is centered on the Maiella massif, of which Monte Amaro is the highest pea ...

, and is accessed via

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** Bi ...

. The cave is 10–20 meters wide and nearly the same height throughout, with numerous

speleothems A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposition (geology), deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety ...

including

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

flowstone Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothe ...

, and

rimstone Rimstone, also called gours, is a type of speleothem (cave formation) in the form of a stone dam. Rimstone is made up of calcite and other minerals that build up in cave pools. The formation created, which looks like stairs, often extends into fl ...

pools. It has electric lighting with rough paths, concrete steps, and iron bridges. Gabriele D'Annunzio employed the cave in the first act of his tragedy "

La figlia di Iorio ''La figlia di Iorio'' (''The Daughter of Iorio''), sometimes written as ''La figlia di Jorio'', is an opera in three acts by Alberto Franchetti to a libretto by Gabriele D'Annunzio. The libretto is a very close rendering of D'Annunzio's play of t ...

Gallery

File:Cable Car Cavallone Cave IMG 0145.jpg, Arrive station of cable car - Grotta del Cavallone File:Grotta del Cavallone IMG 0176.jpg, Gate of the "Grotta del Cavallone"

References

Showcaves description

Grotta del Cavallone (on abruzzoverdeblu.itt)

External links

*{{in lang, it}
Grotta del Cavallone official website
Cavallone Landforms of Abruzzo Cavallone Cavallone Tourist attractions in Abruzzo

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links