grotte di stiffe

very cool experience, the grotto is full of gorgeous rock scuptures formed from water and time. nature at it's best.

Amazing caves and waterfalls but its a pity you can't take pictures. Good access with free parking - there was also a free falconry show whilst we were there.

You'll have to get your ticket one mile before arriving to the grotta. Easy parking, a few minutes walk to the enter, a few minutes to wait there, and here you go. Half an hour to enjoy a lot of waterfalls under the earth. The young guide we had was speaking in a microphone for himself, and we didn't ear one thing he was saying. But I suppose he was mainly here to help the group (15people) to follow the right steps...

Got to the site at noon. There is a nice cafe and playground at the base. Tickets to the Grotte were a little expensive and the tour was in Italian (we got a poorly written English flyer). But the cave and the formations were very nice and the kids enjoyed it.

First of all I want to caution you: it's 10°C inside, so cover up. There's also water everywhere, so wear closed shoes and possibly a hood or hat (water drips on your head). In addition, there may not be English tours available as yet. That said, it's 10 euros well spent. The visit lasts about an hour and you'll be guided through a long cave carved by a rushing underground river. There are two majestic waterfalls and beautiful stone formations everywhere. Too bad you're not allowed to take pictures. We went in summer and we could hardly hear the guide, the river was so loud. We want to return in winter or spring, because we've heard that the river and its waterfalls are even more impressive then.

the landscape is really amazing, evenif the evident rubbish and pollution in the water is not really confortable to see... even the guidance antipathy is not really recommandable. we should be prepared to be in an international contest, so it seems to me really starnge that for foreigners there isn't any tools available in their language to gather info about the place...but that's Italy!!never the less, it is nice place...overall during summer period, when outside you have more than 30° and inside you need a jumper!!!

The tour was great and the caves were amazing. Once you purchase your tickets you are shuttled up the mountain to the entrance. The temperatures inside do drop off so bringing a light sweater might be necessary. I went in shorts, T-shirt and flip flops and I was fine but I did see many people putting on extra layers of clothing. Seeing all the rock formations, running water and waterfalls make for and enjoyable walk. The ground can be a bit slippery so be cautious.

Kids loved this place. Great history as during wwII it was closed to the public. Be sure to take a sweatshirt even if it is hot outside. A great escape from the hustle and bustle of touristy cities.

As Tourist (4 of us) we loved it, and we were there with 4 locals from a nearby town, and they had never been there. We all loved it, breathtaking, very lovely. A must to see, but you must be capable to walk a distance with numerous steps to see it all.

I did the tour at the caves in Stiffe. Unbelievable sound of the water from the mountain running through and the formations of the rock from the water are amazing. A definite must see.

If you are in the area near L'Aquila and Gran Sasso, I recommend an excursion to these beautiful caves and their surrounding areas, immersed in nature, stunning old villages and delicious gourmet food in local "agriturismo" restaurants. Bliss!

We visited the cave in Oct. 2012 and were the only guests at that time. Ypou cannot enter the caves on your own. The ticket booth is in the valley, the cave's entrance half way up the mountain. Parking is free. As I understood, during summertime, there's a shuttle that takes you up, we went by car.The tour was given by a young geologist, a graduate from L'Aquila university, as she told us. She offered to speak English, but her Italian was better for us to understand, than her English, so we gladly went with that. Her knowledge was profound, her pace moderate and her attitude friendly. Fotographing however was forbidden - which is a pity. Whilst in other places I was alowed to take pictures, after I ensured the guides, that I would not use a flash, here this was impossible. Our tour took well over one hour.The caves offer some great insight into the geological details of this mountain range ... I recommend a visit there, however not with too small kids, als the paths are truely slippery!

The main problem with this place is it rude attitude of the staff. It doesn't seem like it's really made for the enjoyment of tourism. You get the feeling that you're being a pain in the neck to these people for having shown up. The guides who are all in their 20's have no general interest in geology or speology. After you've waited for a bus for 30 minutes to take you to the cave and once you've walked inside, an Italian speaking guide will shower you with nonsical safety instructions thru a megaphone. 1. Don't leave the group, 2. Don't leave the group 3. Don't leave the group. Not a word about minding ones head or paying attention to wet and slippery steps. Once the tour has started you suddenly understand that being 2 meters behind the group is taken as a personal insult by the guide. You will be yelled at with the help of a megaphone and a flashlight will be directed at your face if you try and take a photograph. The only thing missing at this point is German shepherds barking at you, which I'm sure they will be supplying shortly. The whole tour is very rushed and over in less than half an hour, which is probably a good thing because at this point you will want to leave anyway. I'm still not sure if picture taking was allowed or not, but they sure made you feel like it was just short of an act of vandalism.In short:if you're interested in geology and your'e looking for a nice holiday experience, or you just want to experience some cool caves, this place is not for you.However I'm sure that there must be plenty of other cave systems in the Abruzzo region where they treat you more humanely. This was my only bad experience traveling around Abruzzo for a week.

In inverno quando le pioggie aumentano e le nevi si sciolgono la portata d'acqua all'interno della Grotta aumenta e sono meravigliose. Il torrente è in piena e la cascata in tutto il suo splendore. Il costo del biglietto è di 10 euro e 8.50 con le riduzioni. Sul sito comunque vi sono tutte le informazioni necessarie. Bisogna inizialmente seguire le indicazioni per la biglietteria. Una volta lì d'estate vi è il bus compreso con il costo del biglietto sino alle Grotte, d'inverno invece bisogna riprendere la macchina dalla biglietteria e vi forniranno le indicazioni per raggiungere l'ingresso (sono comunque scarsi 2 chilomentri). La visita è guidata e dura circa 50 minuti. Unica pecca negativa: non poter fare foto o riprese.Consigliate

vi consiglio di vederle sono aperte sia mattina che pomerig., bellle da vedere e da portare anche i bimbi!ed è anche una bella passeggiate con la macchina per arrivarci da rocca di mezzo sono circa 40 min di stupendi paesaggi!