Good restart for the Castellana Caves (Ba), which officially opened to the public on Friday, June 26, after a three-month shutdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. Approximately 4300 tourists in Puglia were eager to visit the karst complex, one of the region's most important tourist sites, in the first ten days of its opening. 1500 had already visited during the first weekend, from June 26 to 28.
Positive feedback from the Board of Directors Castellana Caves srl (President Victor Casulli, vice president Francesco Manghisi and advisor Maria Lacasella): It was a great thrill for us to reopen the caves, and we're pleased to have received so much attention from tourists in the very first few days, especially considering the extensive planning work we've put in to offer a safe yet enjoyable visit. The numbers we've seen in recent days, for obvious reasons, aren't comparable to those of previous years, but they give us hope for the rest of the season, especially given the many requests we receive every day.
Saturday 11th July (meeting at 7.30pm, departure at 8.00pm), also returns Speleonight, an exclusive visit to the caves with the guidance of speleologists from Puglia Caves Group, which allows you to relive the sensations of the first explorers. Visitors are equipped with helmets, canisters, and acetylene lights and follow an alternative route, even in the dark, which allows them to observe the concretions with new eyes, listen to the sounds amplified by the absolute silence, and observe the small fauna that populates the cavities. Speleonight can be booked by writing to segreteria@grottedicastellana.it or by calling 080.4998211.
In addition to special events, the Castellana Caves are open daily at the following times: full tours (an approximately 3-kilometer itinerary leading to the White Cave, lasting 100 minutes) in Italian at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 14:00 pm, 15:00 pm, 16:00 pm, and 17:00 pm; full tours in English at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 15:00 pm, and 17:00 pm; and partial tours (an approximately 1-kilometer itinerary lasting 50 minutes) in Italian at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 13:00 pm, 14:30 pm, 15:30 pm, and 18:00 pm. Tours can also be booked in German and French.
Tickets for guided tours can be purchased online on the circuit TicketOne or at authorized retailers, until midnight on the day before the desired tour, or directly at the Castellana Caves ticket office. For information, call 080.4998221 or write to segreteria@grottedicastellana.it.
