Ingl_Lucca province

Tourism Lucca city Mountains of Lucca Romanesque Parishes Castles Camporgiano Castiglione Garfagnana Coreglia Ghivizzano Lucchio Montecarlo Nozzano Trassilico Verrucole		Lucca province
		The Wind Cave Web: www.grottadelvento.com Contacts: info@grottadelvento.com
		The Wind Cave, one of the most famous caves in Italy, situated at around 600 meters above sea level within the natural park of the Apuane Alps, offers a unique spectacle, surprising each and every visitor that enter inside those antique fossil galleries, dug out by water, full of cavities decorated with multicoloured stalactites and stalagmites, shining under a continuous veil of water, which enhances its colours and its beauty. Splendid lakes, underground rivers, waterfalls and siphons, complete this work art, which has been constructed by nature alone, millions of years ago. About 4500 metres of galleries have already been explored, just over 2000 of which are opened to the public with three routes that wind within the walls of the cave. The first itinerary is the flattest, rich with calcite formations (1 hour tour) The second itinerary includes the first and then descends down a 50 meter abyss, continuing a suave descent of another 27 meters until arriving at the end of the cave where the underground river runs.(2 hour tour) The third itinerary includes the first and the second but before there is the visit to the top of a 90 meter vertical shaft (3 hour tour)

The Vetriano Teatre Web www.failucca.it Contacts failucca@failucca.it
In 1997, the theatre of Vetriano (Pescaglia) with its 70 sq. mts., entered in the Guiness Book of Records as the smallest theatre in the world. In 1889 engineer Biagini, donated to the little community of Vetriano, a barn which was to be turned into a theatre. The people accepted favourably this donation and thanks to 22 people, the “Peasant Society” came to life, each paying in a sum of 2 lire, and taxing themselves 50 cents a month plus labour. Once the work was finished it was dedicated to the “maestro” Catalani, but later on the people nicknamed it “The Chocolate Box”. The theatre, in spite of its small dimension, is equipped with all that is necessary to stage works of prose and musicals, it contains a plateau and two balconies, the first at the centre, also contains the place of honour, and the second is the classical “gods”. The balconies are accessible from the exterior, through a stairway and terrace (photo bottom right), the ticket office is a small window to the right of the front door (photo bottom left). The theatre actually is the property of the FAI, which organizes the theatrical season (info www.failucca.it). Guided tours of the theatre can be booked by phoning 0583/358131.

The Biological Mill

At Fabbriche di Vallico, a characteristic little village in the Turrite valley, there has recently been restructured an antique mill which traces back to the early 1700’s.
The reconstruction has not been carried out at random, but following precise standards, bringing the mill back to its old splendour and reconfirming it as the “Biological Mill”
The structure articulates on two floors, the floor of the upper ground which has been rigorously pavemented with unvarnished floor boards, has been used as a stock room for produce waiting to be milled (dried chestnuts, grain and spelt), while on the bottom floor, we can find four grinding stones which are driven by the clean pure water from the Turrite. Different stones are used for every different type of grinding, for spelt and grain, granite or flint stones are used, while for chestnuts sandstone is used. Among the flours produced in this mill there are the most famous “Farro della Garfagnana” (Spelt from Garfagnana) an IGP product and “Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana” (chestnut flour from Garfagnana) a DOP product
Visiting the mill is not easy as permission must be asked for from the manager, if you find it shut, don’t despair! Not far from the mill the manager has opened a tasting point where one can try these typical local products which you will find always open. Good Luck!

The Hermitage of Calomini

At a few kilometres from Gallicano, in the thick woods of holm-oak, embedded in an overhanging rock, about 90 meters high, rraises the Hermitage of Calomini, a sanctuary to St Mary and the Martyrs more commonly known as the “Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Hermitage”.
The story of the origin of this sanctuary, where today live an order of Cappuccini monks, has various versions, one of which goes back to the year 1000. Some shepherds narrate that in that place was found a piece of willow tree wood, on which was sketched an image of the Madonna. Another tells of a woman, who having fallen from the overhanging rock walked away without a scratch after having called out for help to the Madonna during her fall. And another tells of a young shepherd girl who found the wooden statue near a spring which emerged from the rock, when the statue was taken to the church at Gallicano, it later disappeared to be found again in exactly the same place that the shepherd girl had originally found it.
The first church, was dug into the rock, using chisels alone, and between 600 and 700 thanks to various donations the grotto was enlarged and a double colonnade was constructed which made it even more majestic.

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