Grotte di Pietrasecca 03-07-2010

Today we set off on a 40min drive toward Rome to find the small township of Pietrasecca (dry rock) where we had made an appointment for a guided tour of the cave there (la grotta). A beautiful drive through the wooded mountains. Upon arrival we found our guide in the towns only piazza. the kids were excited when the helmets with the lights on them were fitted to their heads! Our guide was very enthusiastic and really good with children. We walked through the conutryside for a way to get to the cave opening. Gorgeous rural farms dotted around the country side here.

The caves were great. Because this area has had many earthquakes, the last big one was last year in L'Aquila, you could see when some had happened by the broken off stalegtites. Also in places the floor had been folded upwards.


My first big venture driving the car out and about. I have been doing the narrow streets of Celano for a few days. Trying to get used to right hand drive. I got the GPS that we had bought to work today as well. I think the Tom Tom 750 will become very trusted over the next few weeks it was brilliant! Here is our beast of burden for the next 4 weeks - the 7 seater Lancia.

Kailin's Word: We went to the Grotte di Pietrasecca; a giant cave, full of stalagmites, stalagtites and darkness. We walked a muddy trail for what seemed like ages, and discovered amazing formations of rock. Our tour guide told us that you would probably safer in the cave during an earthquake than in our house, which is kind of a relief. I was a tiny bit nervous that the ceiling would collapse on me. When we were exhausted, the tour guide showed us a map of the whole cave, and we found out that we had only walked a tiny amount of the way.

Before we left, we turned all of the torches off, and were engulfed in complete darkness. Then one of the littler kids in the group started crying, and we left the cave.

Kailin