Grotta dei Lamponi – Grotta del Gelo

Of the four paths available today, this is the classic route used by generations of hikers to reach the site of an almost unique natural phenomenon in the South of Italy, namely a cave featuring a perennial, though modest, amount of ice. The Grotta del Gelo (Eng.: Ice Cave) is located at an altitude of 2,030 m a.s.l., in the middle of a lava field produced by an epic eruption that, according to the chronicles, lasted ten years (1614-1624). It can be reached through a not always evident track departing from Passo dei Dammusi at an altitude of 1,707 along Hiking Trail no. 701. The difference in altitude is 323 m and its length approximately 3,800 metres.