Grotta Claudio Skilan VG5720

Slipping through a fissure in the rock face, we begin our descent into Grotta Claudio Skilan VG5720. This isn’t just any cave. Discovered in 1990 by Giorgio Nicon of the Gruppo Grotte Carlo Debeljak, Grotta Claudio Skilan holds the title of one of the “giants” of the Trieste Karst. Its main entrance, a vertical pozzo, plunges 22 meters deep. The cave’s official designation, VG5720, reflects its place in the regional cave registry. Secured by a gate, Grotta Claudio Skilan requires permission and keys from the Gruppo Grotte Carlo Debeljak for access. This protects the delicate environment within. The first two pozzi have been equipped with fixed ladders by the caving group, easing our initial descent. We emerge into the Galleria Alma, roughly 40 meters below the surface. This gallery, a 400-meter stretch adorned with stunning formations, runs northwest to southeast. At the southeastern end lies the entrance to the cave’s colossal internal shaft. This 140-meter deep, 60-meter wide pozzo is entirely calcified. It’s a breathtaking sight and the deepest internal shaft in the Trieste Karst. It opens into a network of massive, dry river galleries. The northwestern route leads into the Galleria Brena. This gallery is enormous, averaging 30 meters in both width and height and stretching for about a kilometer. From here, the cave continues to reveal its wonders, leading to further galleries and pozzi. These spaces bear witness to ancient water flows and geological processes, shaping the cave into the fascinating labyrinth we explore today. Grotta Claudio Skilan VG5720 extends over 6400 meters horizontally and reaches a depth of 378 meters. Its lowest point lies a mere 11 meters above sea level. From the Galleria Brena, one can access the Galleria Dimenticata, which in turn leads to the Galleria Hanke. This path takes you to the edge of another immense pozzo, 110 meters deep and 20 to 30 meters wide. At its bottom lies a steep, muddy gallery. This leads to the deepest part of Grotta Claudio Skilan. Here, groundwater rises from an estimated depth of 60 meters. Returning to the base of the 140-meter pozzo, a descending branch stretches eastward for 300 meters. This muddy passage leads to two underground lakes. Back at the base of the 140-meter pozzo, the southeastern passage opens into the Galleria Antonietta. This impressive gallery averages 20 meters in both height and width and boasts an upper branch. This branch leads to two large, richly decorated caverns: Caverna Elena and Caverna Nidia. The Galleria Antonietta, including its upper branch, stretches for approximately 2000 meters. It eventually leads to the Galleria Pretner, another significant passage with alternating concretioned and muddy sections. Grotta Claudio Skilan continues to be an active site of exploration. New passages are still being discovered, adding to the complexity and wonder of this subterranean world.