Darkness swallowed the light. The Abisso di Basovizza. A gaping maw in the earth. Its entrance is a narrow ellipse choked with boulders. An ancient tree clings to the rocks above. Fifty years old at least. It guards this mysterious chasm. This is the Abisso di Basovizza.
The Abisso di Basovizza is more than a simple hole in the ground. Discovered in 1899 it plunges 91 meters into the earth. A vertical drop. Two small ledges offer brief respite on the way down. The bottom opens into a 15-meter-long chamber. It’s filled with debris. Rocks and earth. The remains of countless falls. This is the Abisso di Basovizza.
In 1972 members of the Club Alpinistico Triestino made a remarkable discovery. A small ledge at 34 meters. It was difficult to reach. They had to use a pendulum technique. It led to a new section of the Abisso di Basovizza. A five-meter gallery and another 51-meter drop. Beautiful calcite formations adorned the upper part. Lower down erosion had carved unique shapes into the rock. A small opening led to a seven-meter pothole. The total depth reached an astonishing 91.6 meters. The lower parts of this section of the Abisso di Basovizza are dangerous. Loose rocks and erosion threaten speleologists. This is the Abisso di Basovizza.
The walls are mostly coated in a thin layer of red clay. It most likely came from nearby fields. The air is still. Except for a faint draft at the bottom. It might be due to the recently opened entrance. The rock itself is fetid limestone. No stalactites or stalagmites decorate this hidden world. The rock layers are horizontal. Vertical striations mark many sections especially near the bottom. Another abyss lies to the south. Number 23 VG. Number 137 VG is to the north about 200 paces away. This is the Abisso di Basovizza.
The Abisso di Basovizza stands as a testament to nature’s power. A silent sentinel. It whispers stories of geological processes and human exploration. Its depths hide mysteries still waiting to be revealed. This is the Abisso di Basovizza. Remember this place. Remember its depths. Remember its secrets.