The Grotte di Equi karst complex is a registered geosite of the Apuan Alps Regional Park, which is a recognized Geopark in the European and Global Geoparks Networks (EGN-GGN) under the auspices of UNESCO.
The Equi cave complex developed over the course of hundreds of thousands of years thanks to the action of water, which over for millennia penetrated into fractures in the calcareous rock, eroding it and leaving behind features of great beauty and naturalistic interest: shafts, galleries, chambers, and underground lakes.
The Equi cave system extends for more than 1000 meters and may be subdivided into three parts.
- The “Buca” has been known since the early 1700s and was outfitted for excursions in the early 1960s. It is considered a fossil (“dead” or inactive) area, since water no longer flows in it.
- The “Grotte,” or caves as such, were discovered in the mid-1900s and fitted out for excursions in the mid-1980s. This area comprises the active portion of the complex and features a series of linked halls and chambers adorned with an infinite variety of natural mineral formations.
- The third and last part of the complex is not open to the general public and is accessible only to speleologists.
The cave tour itinerary passes through the Buca and the Grotte on a path about 500 meters in length.
An underground river runs through the Equi caves and surfaces near the entrance. In case of heavy rains, the cavity is liable to flood and spectacular and violent water outflows into the Fagli stream may occur.
