Borgio Verezzi Caves
Borgio Verezzi - Savona - Liguria
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Info
Just a few minutes from the sea, in Borgio Verezzi, are the Caves, a site of significant tourist value and among the most beautiful in the Western Liguria region. After their discovery in 1933 and exploration in the 1950s, they were inaugurated on June 29, 1970, coinciding with the patronal feast of San Pietro.
The current tourist route extends to 800 meters and has undergone significant changes over time, with the opening of several stunning chambers where visitors can admire the undeniable features of this magnificent natural jewel.
The temperature inside the caves is a constant 16°C, and the relative humidity in the air averages around 95%-98%.
The access gallery, located approximately 36 meters above sea level, leads through a short corridor to the First Chamber, from which visitors progressively descend to the so-called “Saletta,” one of the lowest points of the tourist cave, situated about 10 meters above sea level, halfway through the tour.
The caves were formed through the karst phenomenon in the limestone-dolomite rock known as Dolomia di San Pietro ai Monti (composed of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate).
Additionally, the Borgio Verezzi Caves are one of the few examples in Italy of caves managed by the Arcadia Cooperative.
Guided Tours
The systematic discovery and exploration of the cave in the 1950s is credited to the Gruppo Speleologico Albenganese, led by Giovanni Dentella, one of the future founders of the Italian Association of Tourist Caves in 1994.
A remarkable feature that distinguishes these caves from others is the rich variety of colors in the mineral formations. The colors range from the pure white of calcium carbonate to reddish-brown, yellow, and gray.
The Second Chamber highlights another characteristic of this underground environment: the tubes, delicate filament-like stalactites also referred to as “spaghetti.” These are slender limestone tubes, representing juvenile concretions that can grow and evolve over time into thicker, more massive stalactites.
The largest mineral formations in the caves are often multi-millennial, such as the flowstones and columns, which form from the union of a stalactite and a stalagmite. The draperies, or laminar stalactites, are also splendid, resembling fabric (e.g., St. Martin’s Cloak and Elephant’s Ear); their shape results from water sliding down inclined rock walls, sometimes influenced by ventilation that alters the path of the droplets.
Typically, during the winter and spring, beautiful emerald-green ponds appear at the cave’s bottom, subject to seasonal fluctuations related to precipitation, making them one of the most attractive features of the site.
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