The cave of Kastania, rich in density and variety of shapes, colors, and shapes, is ranked among the best of its kind in all of Europe.
At the beginning of the last century, the shepherd Costas Stivaktas observed the bees coming in and out through a small hole and thirsting. He dug a hole in the ground looking for water. He was right in front of a cave of unique beauty. Since then, he and his descendants used to enter the Cave and get water from a small trough. This was done until 1958 when the Cave became widely known and the Community of Kastania of the former municipality of Vion undertook its custody and the effort to exploit it.
It took nature three million years to create the incomparable stone decoration and to create bodies and formations that go beyond the imagination. Among the spectacular red and white “waterfalls” the giant polymorphic columns, the “curtains” and the “sheets” that protrude like wax figures from the roof, nest “octopuses” and “corals”, “elephants” and “mushrooms”, birds ”and caricatures,“ exotic plants ”and monumental creatures.
Rare presences such as disks, flat stalagmites, eccentrics, and elixirs, have their special place in the cave and are important stations of the tour. With a little luck, you may meet a noble permanent resident of the cave, the blind and deaf dolichopod.
In the wider area of the cave, alpine formations dominate with the sections “phyllites – quartzites” and “Tripoli”. In Jurassic limestones (195 – 145 million years old) of the “Tripoli” section, the caveogenesis took place 3 million years ago, after a period of geological turmoil followed by an active period of dripping and the formation of chemical sediments. The stone decoration consists of calcium carbonate in crystalline form, enriched with subsoil metal oxides that give it its seven-color palette.
The area of the Cave is 1500 sq.m., it is divided into two levels and the visitor surrounds it with a route of 500m. The utilization projects were carried out in perfect harmony with the external natural environment and the internal interventions were characterized by the Ephorate of Paleoanthropology – Speleology as “excellent in their smallest detail”.
The route from Naples and the surroundings of the Cave is an unforgettable experience: verdant mountain slopes overlooking Epidilion and Akrotiri Kamila, picturesque villages with gurgling springs and Byzantine temples, medieval towers, gorges with old water, cold water, and the blue vastness of the Myrtos Sea. In the courtyard of the cave the refreshment room, a warm place, made with taste, offers local delicacies and relaxation. A short distance away is the old church of Agios Andreas, marked by the passages of pirates and conquerors, from which the cave took its name.
For group visits (Clubs, Schools, etc.) or for more information call:
27343 60100,
27343 60115
or in a mob. 6947437515 (Mrs. Lampiri).
Guided tours every hour. Guided tour time 30-40 minutes.