Raise your hand if you have never heard of caves of Toirano? The homonymous village in the Ligurian hinterland is up there in the middle of the mountains of Val Varatella of province of Savona. Many would consider it a common agglomeration of houses, if inside it did not keep the signs of a past even "prehistoric".
In fact, in the depths of the tunnels of the caves of Toirano there is traces of millenary populations. According to the research of the experts, some finds are attributable toNeanderthal man. So inside, the visitor can immerse himself in stories that intertwine over the centuries. As if that were not enough, he will be amazed by that fine architect called "and gentle cosmetics”Able to leave everyone amazed with the wonderful limestone composition which dominate the cavities.
The rooms of the Toirano caves: Bàsura, Colombo and Santa Lucia
Le caves of Toirano rise on a promontory overlooking the Ligurian coast. To be precise, behind the seaside resorts of Ceriale, Hamlet Holy Spirit e Loano. Always a place of interest for the studies of speleologists, the different areas of the caves have come to light at different times in history. The "newest" room is the Grotto of Bàsura discovery around the Years' 60 of the last century. According to studies and various surveys, the now extinct "cave bear". The brown specimen loved to spend its hibernation period right in the caves of Toirano. Already at the end of the 800th century the first excavations were carried out which led to the discovery of the Columbus cave. Located a little higher than that of Basura, the cave holds important rock traces of groups of hunter-gatherers dating back even to Palaeolithic.
Here footprints, hands, knees and even the so-called "hall of mysteries". In this place, the presence of numerous clay balls attached to the walls suggests some ritual ceremonies typical of the time. The cave of Saint Lucia is divided into alower and upper area. The first is undoubtedly the most suggestive to visit. The walls are covered with thin formations aragonite crystals. Many of the crystals present are arranged in curious "flower". In some areas, then, bloated stalactites fill the surrounding space. In upper Santa Lucia cave you can see the remains of a medieval sanctuary dating back to XV and XVI centuries. Behind the altar extends a corridor of about 240 meters on whose walls there are numerous inscriptions. The faithful who went on pilgrimage to the sanctuary left these marks as a trace of their passage.
The touristic tour
To discover the beauties of caves of Toirano you can book one of the many guided tours carried out daily. It is first of all necessary to equip yourself with shoes suitable for the steep ground of the caves, and to equip yourself with at least a sweatshirt (the temperature inside is 16%). The path will start from cave of Bàsura to then go up towards the Columbus cave.
From here an artificial tunnel will lead us to the lower Santa Lucia cave. The tour will end by coming out of the exit located in the upper Santa Lucia cave. THE caves of Toirano they are an unmissable journey to rediscover lost populations and the wonders of nature in the depths of the subsoil. In short, an unmissable event for tourists from the Ligurian Riviera di Ponente!
