The Cave di Sant’Angelo are located in the municipality of Cassano All’Ionio, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, a region significantly affected by karst phenomena.
A dense network of caves and passages runs through the entire town center, starting from Monte di Cassano.
In the depths of Monte San Marco lies one of the most significant karst complexes in southern Italy and the longest in Calabria: the Grotte di Sant’Angelo, which extend for 2,563 meters.
The system consists of three cavities: Grotta di Sant’Angelo Inferiore, Grotta Superiore di Sant’Angelo, and Grotta Sopra le Grotte di Sant’Angelo. The first two are the only tourist caves in Calabria.
The impressive complex of karst cavities offers a unique spectacle of colors and shapes. Over the centuries, water has played with the rock, creating monumental stalactites and stalagmites, jellyfish and sail formations, small basins or pools, and true water mirrors adorned with micro pisolites, or “cave pearls.”
The Grotte di Sant’Angelo also have historical and archaeological value, as they attest to human presence from the Middle Neolithic period, between 10,000 and 2,200 years ago.
Cassano All’Ionio is one of the oldest towns in Calabria. It is located in a valley overlooking the Plain of Sibari, on the Ionian side of Calabria. Human presence in this place is attested, thanks to the caves, from the Middle Neolithic period, while the founding of the town dates back to the Enotrian population, which was joined in 720 BC by the impact of Magna Graecia with the founding of Sibari by the Achaeans.
Other places to explore:
- Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Armi - Cerchiara di Calabria
- Nymphs' Cave - Cerchiara di Calabria
- Devil's Bridge and Raganello Gorge - Civita
