Pozzo Mattioli

Descending into darkness, the Pozzo Mattioli beckons. This isn’t just a hole in the ground. It’s a portal to Trieste’s past. Pozzo Mattioli, named after a former landowner, has been known for centuries. The entrance appears modest. But just a few meters down, the walls widen dramatically, revealing a large pozzo, or shaft. This isn’t a simple vertical drop, though. The Pozzo Mattioli holds within it a network of caverns and passages. A ledge near the bottom leads to a large horizontal cavern. Deeper down, the cavity ends in a slope of rock debris. In the 1980s, both the CTT (Trieste Cave Commission) and SAG explored the cave. The SAG survey was incomplete, missing some southern galleries and a 6-meter internal pozzetto, or small shaft. So, an updated survey was created. The main pozzo, 21 meters deep and oriented along North-South fractures, opens onto a narrow ledge. To the north, it continues into a rising cavern, blocked at the end by a landslide and mostly devoid of concretions. To the south, two continuations beckon. One, at ledge level, is choked with debris but hints at further possibilities. The other, accessible by a short climb or pendulum swing, stretches about 20 meters and is rich with cave formations. From the ledge, you can descend into the final cavern, either along a ledge or with a rope. It’s about 20 meters long and averages 5 meters wide. Halfway along, a narrow opening leads to a small, blind shaft. Sadly, due to a large amount of dumped waste, a passage once noted by Eugenio Boegan is no longer accessible. In 2015, a massive cleanup effort, part of the National Speleology Day, removed tons of refuse. Carcasses of 1970s cars, a Vespa, bathtubs, water heaters, and other large items were cut into smaller pieces. A cableway hauled out the debris, including scrap metal, plastic, general waste, glass, and even asbestos. The Pozzo Mattioli, once a dumping ground, is slowly returning to its natural state, a testament to the power of community effort and a reminder of our responsibility to protect these hidden wonders.