Water slowly erodes the rock, the scent of the depths of the mountain, images and figures created by calcareous formations: these are just some of the sensations that await you in the cave of Monte Cucco.

When you are in Gubbio, you must come and see this amazing cave, whether you are an expert caver or simply to experience what it's like under there, and there are many routes for anyone who is interested. The underground system is one of the most fascinating and is constantly being studied by geologists and by botanists keen on knowing more about the flora and fauna.

Go to Sigillo, a few kilometres from Gubbio, and start this journey into the underworld of Monte Cucco. The many sides of nature will accompany you silently down into the mountain, plays of light create strange dreamy shapes as you pass walls, caverns, canals and lakes. It's a fairytale world created by the endless geological life of the earth.

From the main entrance, after having passed a well at 27m, you'll reach the grand salons, each of which have been given a name based on its character: the Cathedral, Margherita, the Rock garden, the Becco Room, the Fountain Hall, Sala Simonetti, the Thermal Conduits and the End Hall, through which you gain access to the Pian delle Macinare.

Each cavity is a succession of grandiose stalactites and stalagmites. And all around are small lakes and streams. A series of tunnels, corridors and branches begins from these large halls and lead to other rooms. For example, from the Margherita you can reach a fascinating branch called the Gallery of Bones, whose last chamber, the Pharaoh's Room, is littered with the bones of animals that lived more that 20,000 years ago, during the last Glacial Era: rhinoceros, bears, steinbocks, deer and oxen.

For more information, visit the website of the caves of Monte Cucco

If you want to sample a local delicacy when you are back in the fresh air, then try a bowl of Friccò, a lovely stew of chicken, lamb and rabbit.