Grotta nell’Orto / K’ptanova pečina

Slipping through a hidden opening, we find ourselves at the entrance of Grotta nell’Orto, also known as K’ptanova pečina. This intriguing cave, nestled within the former refugee camp of Padriciano near Trieste, holds a secret history. Grotta nell’Orto translates to “Cave in the Garden,” a name derived from its location near a small garden plot. The entrance, once easily accessible, is now obscured by stones and barbed wire. This barrier, a consequence of children from the refugee camp losing their way within the cave’s depths, adds to the air of mystery. The catastro grotta, the regional cave registry, lists Grotta nell’Orto as number 73 and locally as 37VG. Its main entrance sits at an altitude of 363 meters. Beyond the concealed entrance lies a network of passages and chambers. A steep 8-meter slide leads into a large gallery, averaging 5 meters wide. This gallery twists and turns, eventually stretching for 60 meters. Side passages branch off, some featuring unique singenetic sections, formed simultaneously with the surrounding rock. Hidden amidst the collapsed boulders on the cave floor is a narrow 7-meter pozzetto, a small vertical shaft. Other crevices open into a labyrinth of richly decorated chambers. Beneath some chimneys in the main gallery, concealed passages lead to an 8-meter deep pozzo. This pozzo opens into a 15-meter shaft. At the bottom, a small forced passage leads to vast chambers, discovered in 1986. Navigating through unstable boulders, one encounters a narrow passage marked by a distinct rock blade, partially chiseled to ease passage. Two pozzetti, 3.5 and 10 meters deep, follow in quick succession, their walls coated in calcite. An oblique squeeze leads to a 30-meter vertical drop. The eroded walls of this chamber, about 5 meters apart, bear openings of smaller pozzetti that rejoin the main space. The circular chamber’s floor is covered in sharp-edged debris. A short gallery extends eastward, ending in a mud-filled cavity. Back at the 30-meter pozzo, passages converge onto another 30-meter vertical drop, followed by a 10-meter shaft, reaching a depth of -148 meters. Ascending the wall northward from the base of the 30-meter pozzo reveals a well-decorated gallery. This gallery opens into a 16-meter pozzo. A chimney rises 40 meters, ending in an impassable narrow section. The base of the 16-meter pozzo features a large chamber. A steep, decorated slide leads to another gallery with a sharp bend. The calcite-covered floor slopes sharply into a 25-meter shaft, broken by a small terrace. This large, elongated chamber resembles a canyon. At -180 meters, two distinct paths descend. One climbs the wall before descending, utilizing stalagmites and columns, to a depth of -200 meters. From here, a wide chimney ascends 50 meters, terminating in impassable narrows. The other path descends from the -180-meter ledge into a 20-meter pozzo. At its base, one branch ends in a muddy collapse, while an impassable narrow section leads to a 37-meter pozzo. This pozzo, marked by eroded walls and interrupted by ledges, reaches -232 meters. A small, impassable shaft descends further. Another unexplored shaft opens amidst the unstable boulders at the bottom. Thirty-seven meters from the deepest point, a system of meanders rises for several tens of meters before becoming impassable. Grotta nell’Orto, a place of hidden passages and dramatic drops, remains a testament to the power of nature and a reminder of the stories buried beneath our feet.