The Grotte del Caglieron are one of the most distinctive features of the north eastern part of Italy we are visiting.. They are basically a deep gorge through which the Torrente Caglieron rushes, producing a series of beautiful waterfalls, particularly spectacular after a lot of rain. And there has been quite a bit of rain over the last few days, so we thought we would take another look.

There is actually an interesting story behind the name Caglieron. It seems to derive from the local word “cagliere”, the great copper cauldrons once used for cooking things such as polenta. At the foot of the waterfalls the water has carved out large rounded hollows in the rock, known as marmitte, and these resemble enormous cooking pots. So, in effect, the Caglieron is the stream of the cauldrons.

The gorge itself is the product of a much longer process. The rocks here were laid down millions of years ago, when this part of the world was covered by the sea, and they subsequently became layers of limestone, sandstone and marl. The upheavals that produced the Alps raised these deposits, and the Caglieron then began doing what mountain streams do so well: finding weaknesses in the rock and gradually cutting its way down through them.

The waterfalls and the great round pools beneath them are the result of this continuing erosion. The water, often carrying stones and other debris, swirls around in the rock and slowly enlarges the hollows. Over immense periods of time this produced the deep, narrow gorge we see today.

But the water did not do everything. Some of the most impressive “caves” were actually made by people. From at least the sixteenth century, local stonecutters came here to quarry the soft sandstone known as “piera dolza”, or soft stone. It was used for building, particularly for door jambs, lintels and other architectural features, and examples can still be seen in the older buildings around Vittorio Veneto.

The quarrymen followed the natural layers of the rock, cutting out large blocks but leaving pillars behind to support the roof. These old workings now form some thirty or so artificial galleries along the gorge. So what we see at Caglieron is really a remarkable combination of natural and human activity: the stream created the gorge, the waterfalls and the rounded pools, while generations of stonecutters enlarged parts of it to obtain their building stone.

It is also what makes Caglieron rather different from the Orrido di Botri. At Botri you are essentially walking through a natural gorge. At Caglieron, you are walking through a landscape in which water and human beings have both been at work for centuries. And it was particularly good to see it again. We first came here many years ago, not long after we were married.. Everything seemed remarkably well maintained, including the wooden walkway which allows you to negotiate the gorge without getting your feet wet – although, after all the recent rain, we certainly got our share of spray from the waterfalls.

It was great to discover that this little pilgrimage of ours is still every bit as atmospheric as we remembered it. Thankyou caves and canyon of the cauldron!