Beneath three ancient oaks lies a mystery. Welcome to the Caverna delle Tre Querce. It is known also as cave number 481. This cave hides secrets deep within the karst landscape near Trieste.
The Caverna delle Tre Querce might seem modest. Its planimetric development stretches only 15 meters. The depth is just 2.5 meters. Do not let its size fool you. It is one of the most famous prehistoric caves in the area.
Imagine this place long ago. Researchers like Moser and Marchesetti excavated here. Battaglia explored its depths. Even now, private individuals continue to dig. Their shovels uncover layers of history.
The ground around us is uneven. You can see holes. Some are filled. A long trench cuts through the southwest wall. These scars come from past excavations. Explorers also dug in the dolina outside. However, those digs found nothing.
Let’s talk about location. The Caverna delle Tre Querce sits at the bottom of a large dolina. The GPS coordinates are 45.702642701544 latitude and 13.820850332616 longitude. We are 308 meters above sea level. The cave floor dips to 305.5 meters.
Nearby, only 20 meters away, is Grotta del Frassino. It is cave number 500/2432VG. Once, these two caves were one system. The northwest end of that system almost touches another cave.
Inside this Caverna delle Tre Querce, prehistoric people left their mark. The cave contains anthropozoic deposits. These deposits draw researchers still. They hope to understand lives of the cave’s early inhabitants.
The Carso region holds many secrets. The Caverna delle Tre Querce is an important piece of the puzzle. Other caves nearby, like Cavernetta presso le Tre Querce numbered 2671, also hide relics. It lies on the right side of the path from Fernetti to Monrupino. The path leads to the Rossoni property. This smaller cave contains signs of ancient hearths. Fragments of bone scatter the floor.
Many have written about this cave. Moser wrote about excavations in 1908. Gariboldi cataloged the caves of Venezia Giulia in 1926. Battaglia discussed the Neolithic caves of the Carso. These publications and others document significance of this site.
Think about researchers. Tarabocchia and Dini studied human paleontology here. Their work revealed more about the past. Leben wrote about cave finds in the Trieste Karst.
The Caverna delle Tre Querce is more than just a hole in the ground. It is a portal. It connects us to those who came before. Its modest size holds great importance. The cave continues to reveal stories. The story tells of human presence in this region.