Tuesday, January 23, 2018, on the occasion of the80th anniversary of the discovery of the Castellana Caves, the President of the Republic Honorable Professor Sergio Mattarella He will visit our wonderful underground complex in a strictly private capacity. He will be welcomed by the mayor of Castellana Grotte. Dr. Francesco De Ruvo and the president of the company Grotte di Castellana srl Victor Casulli, who will accompany him on the short visit to the karst complex between the Grave and the Caverna dei Monumenti.
The official program
VISIT TO THE CASTELLANA CAVES
All 10 hours The President of the Republic, the Hon. Prof. Sergio Mattarella, is expected at the Castellana Caves to visit the karst complex and to witness the commemorative descent from the bottom of the Grave in memory of the event of January 23, 1938, organized by the Puglia Grotte Group.
PUBLIC CEREMONY AT THE PALA GROTTE
All 10,30 hours President Mattarella will move to the “Pala Grotte” in via Renato Dell'Andro, where the public ceremony will take place in the presence of local and regional civil, military and religious authorities, and in the presence of representatives of the families of Franco Anelli e Vito Matarrese.
The speeches of the president of the Grotte di Castellana srl company are expected, Victor Casulli, of the mayor of Castellana Grotte Dr. Francesco De Ruvo, of the mayor of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Eng. Antonio DeCaro, of the President of the Puglia Region Dr. Michele Emiliano.
For public order reasons, access to the PalaGrotte will be permitted until 9:15 a.m. and will be reserved exclusively for fifth-grade elementary school students and first-grade middle school students from the city's two comprehensive schools.
HOLY MASS IN GRAVE
All 18 hoursInside the Castellana Caves, a Eucharistic Celebration will take place in the Caverna della Grave. Mayor Dr. Francesco De Ruvo will be representing the Municipal Administration, along with the Board of Directors of Grotte di Castellana srl, led by President Victor Casulli, and representatives of the families of Franco Anelli and Vito Matarrese.
At the end of the Holy Mass, a speleologist from the “Puglia Grotte Group” will abseil from the mouth of the Grave for a commemorative descent.
