Wind cave – Versilia

The wind cave is located in Versilia in the park of the Apuan Alps at 600 meters above the sea.

The cave is of karst nature and was formed over millions of years, it is about 4,500 meters long

and has a total height difference of 125 meters.

As the name suggests the main feature of the wind cave is the strong wind

that runs along its entire length, especially the gusts are very intense at the beginning of

path.

The only practicable opening is located 650 meters above sea level, but it is assumed that there is one

another higher in altitude that allows the recirculation of the wind.

Inside the cave the temperature is constant and measures about 10 degrees, this characteristic leads

to a unique phenomenon of the “wind tube” caves: during the summer when the outside temperature is

hotter than that inside the cave, the air is expelled in the main opening at the bottom;

during the winter, however, when the internal air is warmer than the external air, it is expelled into the

cavity higher than altitude.

Inside the cave, fossil remains of an ancient bear and a small rodent were found

testifies to the antiquity of the cave.

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The history of the wind cave

From 600 ‘to 800’ the cave was used as a refrigerator to keep food cool

in very sultry summer periods, taking advantage of the cold air that came out of the lower cavity.

It is said that the first person to set foot in the cave was a child who was just for fun

pushed to venture into what at the time was just a small hole, the little girl told her when she came out

that the cave widened considerably and continued, the interest struck everyone who enlarged the forum

of entrance to allow exploration.

In 1964 a group of Bolognese speleologists were exploring the Apuan Alps when they encountered

a local who indicated the presence of a large cave still unexplored, the three speleologists

Thus began the exploration of the wind cave with its wonderful stalactites and stalagmites.