While visiting friends in North East Italy, yesterday, on a beautifully gold-hued autumn afternoon we explored the Caglieron caves, located in the municipality of Fregona, province of Treviso. Strictly speaking they are not caves but rather a series of cavities created partly by natural erosion activities and partly by human action.

The natural erosion part consists of a deep gorge carved by the Caglieron stream through alternating layers of limestone, sandstone and marl laid down in the Miocene. One can admire numerous waterfalls, some over thirty feet high. In the deepest part of the gorge one can observe large calcareous concentrations which, closing part of the vault, give the whole the appearance of a cave.

The artificial formations are due to the extraction of sandstone blocks which provided the material for the construction of jambs and architraves adorning many buildings in the surrounding area thanks to the stone’s easily workable nature. The particular method of extraction included the creation of inclined columns to support the vault that otherwise would have collapsed. The result is a collection of picturesque artificial cavities, below which the Caglieron stream flows.

The whole area can be visited thanks to the creation of a slightly hair-raising path which seems to fly across the gorge and its cavities. We visited after a night of heavy rains so the sound of the caves’ cataracts was especially impressive.

At the end of the trail there’s an old mill converted into a restaurant bar where, on a previous visit to this site we enjoyed delicious wild boar.

The caves are free and always open, although I would hesitate to visit them by night. Watch out for summer events including theatre and parties!