Deseasonalization and diversification are the guidelines along which the Grotte di Castellana company will move for its 2023 offering. Two reasons to expand, modify, and enrich an already rich offering that lasts all year and appeals to visitors of all ages.
For this reason, last weekend, Friday, February 3rd and Saturday, February 4th, in collaboration with the Municipality of Castellana Grotte, Aps Sirio, Aps Sottosopra, Gruppo Puglia Grotte, and Alephtheatre, the Caves were showcased. Two days of open days were held for experiential, leisure, and luxury tourism operators, and for school leaders, who experienced the 2023 tourism offerings with tours, reruns of Hell in the Cave, and educational workshops.
The first edition of “FamTrip – Experience e Lab” welcomed around 30 operators to promote and relaunch currently neglected segments of the offering and make the current offering more competitive.
The open-air program, which showcased the full range of tourist attractions, opened with a welcome at the Anelli Museum, followed by a visit to the cave, the Speleo Adventure, the Hell in the Cave aerial-underground show, and dinner at a traditional restaurant.
The second day offered a variety of experiences for schools across Puglia, from Vieste to Lecce, from Foggia to Brindisi.
The participating managers, supervisors, and students first had access to the workshops that will take the children, boys and girls, from the underground to the stars, ensuring that the visit to the Caves is as educational as possible and suitable for students of all levels.
For preschool, the educational workshops "Fa-volando" and "H2Oltre – The Story of a Friend Called Gocciolina" are planned. The first, like a fairy tale, teaches younger children about the underground environment and its creation; the second will explain the underground and above-ground phenomena that govern karst.
For elementary and middle school students, there are actual tours: the "Geotour," "Grotta School," and "Grotta Bianca School" workshops. They will thus move from a short itinerary, to a partial one, until they finally enjoy a unique educational experience 70 meters underground, through the complete itinerary that will take them to the White Grotto.
Finally, secondary schools will be able to visit the Caves through the "Geotour," the "Grotta School," and the "Grotta Bianca School," as well as the "Cave & Stars" workshop, which will unveil the concept of "time," highlighting the connection between geological and astronomical time.
They can also experience “Hell in the Cave,” the world’s largest underground aerial show, combining dance, voices, sounds, and lights against the natural backdrop of the Castellana Caves, allowing them to literally immerse themselves in Dante’s Inferno.
During the two-day “FamTrip”, operators and school managers were able to test the new packages, specifically structured for school groups, which include an integrated experience between caves and an educational laboratory with innovative and interactive tools.
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There were even some tour operators who had never visited them before, despite offering their clients the package that included them. I can proudly say, as a demonstration of the interest our offer generates, that we have already received numerous bookings from Apulian schools in recent days. We are ready to face a 2023 full of experiences and innovations.
