Corchia park: un´avventura tra grotte e tradizioni in Versilia

A unique experience in the heart of the Apuan Alps

Il Corchia Underground It's a tourist system nestled in the Apuan Alps Regional Park, in Alta Versilia, offering a fascinating journey into the heart of the mountains. Guided tours and excursions allow you to explore underground worlds, ancient mines, and museums that tell the story and traditions of this area.

The main attractions of Corchia Park

The complex offers several attractions for a complete experience suitable for everyone, from families to geology and local history enthusiasts.

The Antro del Corchia: the largest karst cave in Italy

Also known as the "Empty Mountain," the Antro del Corchia is the largest karst complex in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. A two-kilometer-long path, entirely on steel walkways, allows visitors to safely enter the majestic tunnels and chambers shaped by water over millions of years. The guided tour, lasting approximately two hours, reveals a breathtaking underground world, including giant stalactites and stalagmites, fossil lakes, and spectacular concretions. The internal temperature remains a constant 7°C, so appropriate clothing is recommended.

The quicksilver mines

A fascinating journey into the region's mining history. These ancient mines were used to extract cinnabar, a mineral from which mercury (quicksilver) was extracted. The tour allows you to retrace the miners' labors and traditions, exploring tunnels where you can still observe ancient excavation techniques and, in some places, even tiny drops of native mercury emerging from the rock.

The Levigliani museum system

To learn more about local culture and history, Corchia Park includes an interesting museum complex:

• Bent Stone Museum: An exhibition dedicated to marble processing and the use of stone and herbs over the centuries. Here, you can admire artifacts that demonstrate local artisanal skill, from everyday objects to finely decorated works.
• "Work Freely" Museum: This museum tells the story of the Levigliani community and its unique cooperative management of common goods, particularly the precious marble quarries. A tale of identity and social and economic redemption.