Santa Ninfa Cave

The “Santa Ninfa Cave” Nature Reserve was established in 1995 with the intention of protecting and appreciating the charming karst environment. The landscape is characterised by the presence of phenomena, both underground (caves) and on the surface (dolines, ponors, blind valleys, “limestone pavements” and corrosion trays). The Santa Ninfa Cave, a cavity of karst origins that extends for around 1.5 km, is fed by the Biviere stream that originates on the slopes of Mount Finestrelle, runs along a small gorge in correspondence to the gypsum soil and ends its superficial course in a large blind valley occupied by vineyards. In the steep gypsum walls that enclose the valley lies a ponor, a natural funnel into which the waters flow forming the small underground river that crosses the cave.