Caves of Osimo
Discovering the underground city

Osimo, beneath its streets, hides a maze of artificial tunnels dug into the sandstone, imbued with a secret and curious atmosphere, truly not to be missed. There are three underground routes that run below the city and are currently open to the public, albeit with different visiting methods:

The Grotte del Cantinone
Always accessible during the year, these galleries run for about 300 meters below the city covered market and under a part of the Basilica-Sanctuary of San Giuseppe da Copertino, right next to the Roman walls, near the famous Fonte Magna.
A guided tour of about 45 minutes will take you to discover bas-reliefs and religious engravings. These rooms, remodeled for the last time in the medieval period, in fact seem to have been used by the Franciscan friars as warehouses for the storage of food and as places of worship where they can gather in prayer at the candle light only.

The Caves of Piazza Dante
It is accessed from the cellars of Palazzo Fregonara-Gallo located in Piazza Dante, where there is also Palazzo Campana, once a boarding school. The environment, arranged on two levels of depth, was remodeled for the last time between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Inside there are esoteric symbols, as it seems that the environment was used by the then owner of the Palace above, Count Cesare Gallo, and his companions: characters historically linked to the coal store and affiliated to Masonic lodges, It is of a truly suggestive hypogeum to visit. The guided tour of the Caves of Piazza Dante takes about 45 minutes.

The Riccioni cave
From the cellars of Palazzo Leopardi it is possible to access one of the most interesting and best preserved caves in the city: the Riccioni Caves. Although limited in size, the hypogeum has an extremely particular structure and a symbolism rich in connections with the Templar world.

Unique in its kind is the circular room that closes the path, with a star shape where the officiants, seated in the five stools carved in the rock, could only have heard the voices of others without being able to see themselves in the face.

Everything suggests that in that place, once surmounted by a Templar Domus, particular characters of the Order were to meet.

The Grotto, owned by the Riccioni family, is not artificially illuminated. We therefore recommend that you bring a torch, although the path, which lasts about 35 minutes, is always guided.




Useful contacts
Info and reservations: IAT Osimo Office, open from Tuesday to Saturday (8.30-13.00 and 16.00-19.00) and Sunday (10.00-13.00 and 16.00-19.00).

In July and August, until mid-September, the IAT Office is open from Tuesday to Saturday (8.30-14.00 and 15.00-19.00) and Sunday (10.00-14.00 and 15.00-19.00).

Website: www.osimoturismo.it

Freephone number 800 228800

Fb page: Osimo Turismo

Guided visits to the Cantinone Caves. Departures at the following times: morning 10.30 - 11.30; afternoon: 16.15 - 17.15, 18.15.

In July, August and until mid-September guided tours of the Cantinone Caves are also carried out at the following additional times: 12.30 and 15.15.

Full ticket: Euro 6.00

Reduced ticket: € 4.00 (groups of at least 15 people, FAI members, Touring Club members, over 65, children between 7 and 12 years, etc.)

Although not mandatory, reservations are recommended.

"TOUR Heart / Earth of the CAVE. Journey into the deep ": at the request of groups of at least 8 paying people, it is possible to book a visit to the three caves of Osimo a few days in advance, at a cost of 10.00 € / each. For the visit to the hypogea of ​​Osimo we recommend comfortable shoes and a long-sleeved shirt as the temperature is around 13-14 degrees.

photos ©Marco Scataglini