Etna Lava Tubes Project was born with the aim of spreading knowledge of little-known or unpublished Etna caves.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 Below we report a census of little-known caves - for which information is not available elsewhere - or unpublished discovered by our team in particular by the founders of EtnaExcursion.it Dario & Paolo Teri.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: Not easily accessible, can be visited with only lights and helmet.
Detected by Paolo Teri (on 27.4.2021)
Notified to the relevant municipality on \\
The QuattroMani cave is a modest cavity of about 20 meters of development on the lavas of 1892. A lava tube with a regular shape, in its smallness, but rich in the typical elements of this type of cave. It is accessed from a small entrance where there are two "rolls" of lava due to the detachment of the most superficial sheaths of molten rock during the emptying phase of the conduit. The cave must be traveled almost entirely on the four limbs, hence the name given. The first meters develop horizontally, then climb following the morphology of the slope and stop abruptly with an obstruction. Together with the visit of the nearby Grotta della Volpe, Grotta dei Penitenti and Grotta Garbage, present within a few hundred meters, it can be an interesting visit overall.
Dario Teri April 27, 2021 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.