Discover underground Tuscany

Tuscany is home to a great number of beautiful sights, but some of the most beautiful are to be found underground. As well as there being a beautiful surrounding area full of flora and fauna, Tuscany is also home to an amazing underground cave system, which is claimed to be one of the best in the whole of Italy, with around 1500 grottos. Natural wonders such as stalactites and stalagmites, lakes, waterfalls and mines can be seen in these Tuscan caves, and in the past, many human and animal remains and artifacts have been found too. Whilst on your camping trip in Tuscany, why don't you pay a visit to one of the many caves in the Tuscany area, and discover how stunning this part of Italy is, even without sunlight!

This cave system is made up of prehistoric caves, Etruscan necropolises, underground streams, aqua ducts and lakes, and many of these have distinctive names. One cave which is definitely worth of its distinctive name is the Grotta del Vento, vento meaning 'wind'. At the centre of the Apuan Alps Park, home to these majestic mountains of the same name, you will find this incredible wonder of nature, home to small lakes, stalactites and stalagmites, and unusual mud formations. With its strong wind coming from deep inside the mountain, this underground world has been dug, modelled and carved by the weather, creating impressive natural sculptures in the limestone rock.

With three tour routes available, this cave is perfect for exploring, whatever your age or ability. Ranging from a relatively flat, one hour tour, to a more extensive three hour exploration, where you can see a perfectly vertical, 90 metre underground shaft and an underground canyon. At around 10 degrees Celcius with 99% humidity, make sure you take warm clothes, a waterproof jacket and of course, sensible, preferably rubber soled shoes.

Another noteworthy location is the Antro del Corchia, which is composed of 60km of tunnels. It is equally as fascinating as the Grotta del Vento, with a well organised system for exploring this spectacular cave. You'll need a good couple of hours to see everything on the 2km route, which has a fair amount of steps but isn't too strenuous. Make sure you don't miss the mercury mines, where you can almost see the mercury actually leaking from the rocks. You can reach these extensive caves, which have attracted the attention of many scientists, by shuttle bus from the village of Levigliani.

The area is also home to mining museums, near Siena, you can find yet another maze of underground tunnels, named 'bottini'. It has been said these tunnels were once inhabited by creatures called "homiccioli" and "fuggisoli", reported to have been seen by maintainance workers. These workers were paid with wine, so you can understand why there's no hard evidence of these creatures' existence! The 25km of tunnels still take water to wells all over the city.

Some of the most exciting and alluring elements of nature are to be found undisturbed and underground, and the caves in Tuscany are no exception. Whether you're interested in nature travel or just a lover of all things beautiful, while staying in your campsite in Tuscany, make sure you don't miss out on these hidden gems.

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