Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves.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 Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri.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: Dario Teri, Paolo Teri January 16, 2023
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
This is a modest lava cave that develops on the lavas of 1614-24, yet another cavity on this enormous lava flow.
It is a classic lava tube, not very high but it has an interesting morphology and speleothems quite common in caves originating from these lavas, including hundreds of lava pendants (so-called dog teeth). The cave is accessed from a couple of points where the vault is missing. For a good part of the hypogeum it is necessary to walk low. The most interesting part is the formation of a low but wide room from which several arms branch off, apparently not easily passable. A peculiarity is represented by the detection of remains of numerous ladybirds, hence the name given.
The cave may be unknown or little known, however it would not be registered. No traces of other visits or previous uses were found.
Dario Teri 16 January 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.
How are volcanic caves formed?
Lava tubes are very common on Etna. They form during an eruption ...
Go to the article.