Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves. Natural phenomena among the most fascinating of our volcano. Many texts report that on Etna there are at least 260 known caves. In reality the formation of lava tubes is very common and the number of caves is destined to increase considerably. Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri. During an exploratory campaign that began "for fun" in 2018 and still (April 2023), about 70 have been found, not considered in the general count indicated above. Here we report only those considered most interesting from a naturalistic point of view. For the caves already surveyed we recommend a visit to EtnaNatura.it and Mungibeddu.it
Exploration: Visitable with helmet and torch
First exploration: June 13, 2023 by Alberto Uccellatore
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
The Spider's Cave 1, so called because of the presence of a small colony of spiders all of the same species. It is a cave on the lavas of 1865. The entrance to the cavity is a bit low and you can enter without too many problems, as soon as you enter you find yourself in a small room with a maximum height of 2 m and then progressively lowers until it closes. On the left instead there are the presence of 2 beautiful Rotoli (similar to the famous Rotoli cave) these lead to the entrance of a typical lava tube that will gradually close after about 4/5 m. Note the presence of bat guano and some young dwarf birch shrubs in the immediate vicinity of the cavity.
Dario Teri 13th June 2023 Unseen & Little-Known Etna Caves No Responses
Do you want to visit the caves of Etna?
We organize cave excursions with expert guides. You could also request a guided tour with those who discovered it! See
Speleological tour in volcanic caves.
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How are volcanic caves formed?
Lava tubes are very common on Etna. They form during an eruption ...
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16th August 2023 – On August 14th there was a paroxysm (a “lightning” eruption) from the summit craters which has already ended. Everything falls within the normal Etna phenomena. There is no danger for the population and visitors. The excursions are taking place regularly. GO TO NEWS