Explored in 1840 and opened to the public by the Club Touristi Triestini in 1908, the Grotta Gigante (meaning “Giant Cave”) is acave on the Karst plateau, a few kilometers from the border with Slovenia.
The Grotta Gigante contains the largest natural room in the world, a record-breaking feature that earned it its inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records as early as 1995: we are talking about a single room about 114 meters high, 280 meters long (more than St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, to give you an idea) and 76.3 meters wide!
In the Grotta Gigante there are, of course, research activities, but also a whole series of educational and tourist activities is offeredwhich makes it a place to visit and discover with wide eyes suitable for both adults and children. A wonder of nature not to be missed!
Here are some of the proposed activities:
In addition to these periodic initiatives, exclusive events are also held at the Grotta Gigante: check the Grotta Gigante Events List page if there are any coming!
And there is no shortage of special activities dedicated to schools, with proposals both outdoors and in the laboratory and contents adapted to the age of the students.
A last gem not to be missed if you are in Trieste or in the surroundings towards the end of the Christmas holidays: traditionally, on February 6th on the occasion of the Epiphany, the Befana (the old witch, who according to the Italian folklore brings sweets to children on this day)descends into the cave! The event is called Befana in Grotta Gigante and is a unique Trieste tradition in the world: an army of speleologists descends with special ropes from the top of the cave wearing themed costumes, to then reach the spectators, gathered for the occasion 100 meters below. On the notes of the band, you can see the Befana descending accompanied by many other characters: the Magi, Santa Claus, the Comet Star and the mythical Muccocervi, the fantastic inhabitants of the cave. Once landed among the public, they give children sweets and candies, while adults are reserved to taste the “Gran Pampel”, a hot alcoholic drink from the secret recipe, which has always warmed the souls of speleologists during their descents.
In general, if you decide to book a place for the guided tour, remember that in the cave there is 11° C all year round, so we recommend that you bring a warm sweatshirt even during the summer.
Consider that there are no discounts on the 500 steps to go down: there is no elevator, so you will have to make them all! Nothing impossible (also because the route is secured by special railings and non-slip covers), indeed getting off on foot slowly in the cave does nothing but immerse you even more in the atmosphere of the unique place you are visiting, but if for some reason you can not or do not feel like facing this descent perhaps it is not appropriate to venture…
Finally, we recommend that you check on the official website Grotta Gigante if there are promotions in progress, because at certain times of the year special discounts are activated on admissions and activities.
Address: Locality Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/A – Sgonico (Trieste)
From Hotello: by bus, line 42 [partenza da Piazza della Libertà (Stazione FS)]
Contact:
+39 040 327312
Website: https://www.grottagigante.it/
This site uses cookies, which are necessary for the operation and to achieve the purposes described in the cookie policy. By closing or hiding this information, clicking a link or button or continuing to browse in any other way, you declare that you accept its use. Learn more
