Caudano Caves

The Caudano Caves were discovered in December 1898 during the construction of the reservoir for the aqueduct of the hydroelectric plant of Frabosa Sottana. It was intended to use the spring that, as soon as it came out of the cliff, was lost in the Maudagna stream after a few tens of meters.
However, it was noticed that the fissure from which the water flowed, entering the mountain, widened in such a way that one could go in it. An exploration team was soon set up and led by Eng. Vittorio Cav. Trona. They went up the small underground stream until they discovered a large cavity rich in calcareous concretions, which were followed by numerous other caves communicating with each other.
After a thorough and accurate exploration by some experts, the Caudano caves were definitively declared the largest in Italy and the richest in stalactites and stalagmites. The Caudano caves, since their discovery, have been the object of mystery and curiosity. It was attempted to make them visitable by tracing an internal road to facilitate the journey and, in the early 1900s, there were numerous visitors. In 1992 the Municipality carried out impressive works for the tourist enhancement. On this occasion, an electrical system was installed in order to completely illuminate the tourist branch and the internal path was revised with the installation of stairs and walkways in galvanized iron.
Since January 2006 the Caudano caves have been managed by the Mondolé Tourist Association and are open all year round with good success with the public and numerous consents from speleological groups, cultural associations, schools, and regional and national newspapers.