STIFFE - An underground river that has been digging the rock for millennia and, through the slow phenomenon of dripping, manages to build stalactites and stalagmites with fantastic shapes and which, falling from walls even thirty meters high, falls into thunderous waterfalls: it is the spectacular scenery of the Grotte di Stiffe , a naturalistic path carved out of the water in the mountain, fifteen kilometers from L'Aquila.
(Credit photo: uPIX)
Technically these caves are a unique "active resurgence" in Italy, a point where a river returns to the surface after having traveled an underground stretch. In this case the Rio Gamberale was born in the Rocche plateau to travel a long underground section and then descend with great power to Stiffe, a hamlet of the municipality of San Demetrio Nei Vestini. The section of the caves that can be visited is 700 meters long and the visit lasts about an hour.
Inside the caves a speleological guide explains the history of the caves and the various karst phenomena at the origin of the formation of strange concretions to large and small visitors and safely leads through the various rooms: the Sala del Silenzio, the Sala delle Concrezioni, the Sala della Cascata, the Black Lake, up to the last powerful waterfall.
Credit photo: uPIX
Given the flow rate of the water, a hydroelectric plant was built in this place at the beginning of the 20th century, destroyed during the Second World War. The caves can be visited all year round because the internal temperature is constant at ten degrees centigrade. Only in cases of exceptional flooding of the river can the caves be closed. It is advisable to wear non-slip shoes and comfortable, covering clothing against humidity.
In the same Municipality of San Demetrio it is possible to visit the Sinizzo Lake , of karst origin. And especially if there are children the ideal is to combine the visit of the caves with that of the Oasis of Fontecchio , in the homonymous village included in the list of the most beautiful in Italy. The Oasis is located in a former medieval tannery, inside the Sirente Velino regional park.
Children and their parents will learn many things about wild animals in the field. In addition to guided tours, workshops are also organized in the Oasis, both for individual visitors and for school groups. Inside there are deer, owls and birds of prey. A picnic area is also available.
