Laceno Lake: The Hidden Secret of the Caliendo Caves

A place carved into the rock that tells us stories never heard before. Ready to immerse yourself in an underground landscape seen and discovered by few? We’re talking about the Caliendo Caves. By choosing to visit the caves, you’ll experience the entrance hall, a spectacular room “as big as a cathedral.”

The history of the Caliendo Caves

The exploration of the caves began in 1930 thanks to Giovanni Rama, a young bricklayer from Bagnoli Irpino who, driven by curiosity and friendship, managed to explore about 1,500 meters of cave with some of his friends. Thanks to him, the cave was subsequently explored by many experts until it was registered as a cave in 1936. Nearly four decades later, after the 1980 earthquake, the opportunity arose to continue exploration thanks to a siphon that had emptied after the earthquake. Thus, a group of Bagnoli residents, led by Chieffo Angelo, continued their explorations, reaching approximately 3,000 meters inside, overcoming other siphons, not without difficulty but driven by their passion and love for this place forgotten by time.
Subsequently, in 1990, a group of young people composed of Nello Nicastro, Italo Giulivo, and Antonio Santo, members of the Speleo-Napoli groups and the Bagnoli Irpino speleological club, managed to discover several fossil branches no longer crossed by water, until they identified a branch approximately 150-200 meters deep, very close to the Laceno Lake plateau. Thanks to this new discovery, an artificial tunnel of approximately 98 meters was built to connect to this branch, which leads to a small room known as the “tea room.”

The story of the tea room hidden beneath Lake Laceno

The beautiful story of the tea room was told to us by Nello Nicastro, a former speleologist and currently on the board of Laceno Trekking, who with his words managed to give us a taste of this adventure.
“The first time we arrived in this fossil branch, Italo Giulivo, Raffaele Basile, and I were there. There were three of us, and to get to that point deep inside the cave, you have to walk. A lot. So we arrived tired, wet, and cold. When we arrived in this little room, there was a beautiful little lake, and the first thing Italo Giulivo did was take the stove and make a nice, very sweet, very hot, and exceptional tea. So, ultimately, from that tea, a tea room.” Nello Nicastro has been lucky enough to visit the cave hundreds of times, trying to measure it all and exploring 4.4 km, hoping to continue discovering the secrets hidden in the caves.
Currently, the tea room cannot be visited as there is a risk of damaging it. We should wait patiently for the administration to allow the project, conceived by Nicastro himself, to move forward so we can all enjoy this little room where we can enjoy a sweet tea.

The Cathedral beneath our feet

Inside the caves, numerous routes have been discovered and research has been carried out, but they remain difficult to access given the number of siphons present within them. However, you can visit a passageway that Nicastro describes as “cathedral-sized,” measuring about 90 meters, approximately 16 meters wide, and 36 meters high. The passageway is easily accessible on foot, and in the numerous excursions organized by Nicastro and Fabio Morrone, some children have also participated, allowing the younger generations to enjoy ancient discoveries, veiled secrets, and legends. The lower part is therefore easily accessible, but only during the summer months and with the assistance of experts and guides. Visiting the caves, you’ll find yourself immersed in this majestic chamber with high ceilings, hidden cavities, and crystal-clear waters that allow you to create plays of light with your small flashlights.

The legend of the caves that saved Bagnoli Irpino

We often hear stories that narrate times gone by or that pass on legends and values ​​of the past. Similarly, for the Caliendo caves, the elders pass on a legend to the new generations. It is said that in the terrible earthquake that struck Irpinia in 1980, the caves managed to cushion the destructive force of the earthquake, leaving Bagnoli Irpino almost unscathed from destruction and rubble. Some have even claimed to have seen tongues of fire coming out of the mouth of the cave, fueling stories that allow us to oscillate between truth and fantasy.

A new beginning from the past thanks to the Caliendo caves

The caves, the chairlifts, all the landscapes and structures left abandoned at Lake Laceno represent one way to try to revalue all the beauty that surrounds us and of which, very often, we are not even aware. The cave and the place in which it is located therefore represent a beautiful reality, a “form of natural architecture” from which to start again.
And what are you waiting for? Contact us to experience an unforgettable, ancient excursion!