Montecchio (Grotta di) [Buca dei Settepiani] [Grotta del Diavolo]
42.703100,11.507400
Location
More precise coords of entrance on google maps: www.google.com/maps?q=42.7046951,11.50668259972222… Photo with anchors visible is available in the Documents section.
There is a natural bay that will fit one small car just where the path leading to the cave starts. The road is very narrow and parking close by at other places would block the road. The location of the bay on google maps: www.google.com/maps?q=42.7043727,11.5065702 Photo is available in the Documents section.
Description
General informormation
Amazing cave with thermal waters at the bottom. It was formed from the bottom to the surface (hypogenic) by the rising thermal waters. It is relatively warm, around 16 °C, thanks to Tuscany and thermal waters. There is live in the cave down to bottom - bats, insects, arachnids, snakes. After main entrance there at two main routes through which you may descend - ramo "Caldo" and ramo "Freddo". - "Freddo" is spacious and has almost 40 m deep pit on the way - "Caldo" has more narrow pits and route Both routes seem to have more than single way to descend (series of pits). After descending through any of those two there is still way to descend further, down to 100 m but you need to find your way. The pit leading to thermal waters at 100 m depth is somewhere around Sale Finocchi.
Snakes
The snakes we encountered were identified by whatisthissnake community as Hierophis viridiflavus (green whip snake): www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/1n2fs6x/t… www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/1n3jj75/t… Those snakes are harmless for humans (unless you let them chew for several minutes...). Maybe there are other species inhabiting the cave. We encountered only those. Note that you can meet snakes even at 80 m depth (and that is where you meet most probably!)
Can't remove, uggggh (entry moved to location)
Thermal waters at the bottom
There are thermal waters at 100 m depth. Some notes how to reach them are available at: www.instagram.com/p/DNx-7dHRGk3/?img_index=1 www.facebook.com/bartosz.meglicki/posts/2493273141… It looks like this section of the cave was discovered in 2006 (TALP-034, "La Grotta di Montecchio, ultimo aggiornamento: il Ramo dei Dannati."). The Pit of the Damned leads to the Hall of Hell with small thermal lakes Styx and Acheron.
Rigging
Notes on riggings
| Obstacle | Rope | Anchor | Observation |
|---|---|---|---|
| General notes | There are permanent anchors at the cave entrance. Later on you mostly need your own hangers (8 mm bolts for 13 mm nuts key). There are some spits leftovers in the cave but most are in useless state (so you at least need hangers and nuts). |
Documents
Descrizione morfologica e mineralogica della grotta ipogenica sulfurea di Montecchio (Grosseto, Toscana) 23/12/2020- La cavità è lunga 1700 metri e profonda cento. Analisi condotte su undici campioni hanno evidenziato la presenza di materiali di alterazione quali clorite e illite.
- Esplorazione di un nuovo ramo nella Grotta di Montecchio 254 T/GR (Semproniano - Grosseto) con temperature fra i 24° e i 30°.
Geologia ed assetto strutturale della Grotta di Montecchio. 23/12/2020
- Rilevamento geologico di dettaglio eseguito sul colle di Montecchio (Semproniano - Grosseto) e relativa grotta.
Ideal spot to park the car near Grotta di Montecchio, Italy 04/09/2025
Sulphuric acid speleogenesis and landscape evolution: Montecchio cave, Albegna river valley (Southern Tuscany, Italy) 13/07/2022
- Montecchio cave (Grosseto province, Tuscany, Italy) opens at 320 m asl, in a small outcrop of Jurassic limestone (Calcare Massiccio Fm.), close to the Albegna river. This area is characterised by the presence of several thermal springs and the outcropping of travertine deposits at different altitudes. The Montecchio cave, with passage length development of over 1700 m, is characterised by the presence of several sub-horizontal passages and many medium- and small-scale morphologies indicative of sulphuric acid speleogenesis (SAS). The thermal aquifer is intercepted at a depth of about 100 m below the entrance: the water temperature exceeds 30 °C and sulphate content is over 1300 mg l− 1. The cave hosts large gypsum deposits from 40 to 100 m below the entrance that are by-products of the reaction between sulphuric acid and the carbonate host rock. The lower part of the cave hosts over 1 m thick calcite cave raft deposits, which are evidence of long-standing, probably thermal, water in an evaporative environment related to significant air currents. Sulphur isotopes of gypsum have negative δ34S values (from − 28.3 to − 24.2‰), typical of SAS. Calcite cave rafts and speleogenetic gypsum both yield young U/Th ages varying from 68.5 ka to 2 ka BP, indicating a rapid phase of dewatering followed by gypsum precipitation in aerate environment. This fast water table lowering is related to a rapid incision of the nearby Albegna river, and was followed by a 20–30 m fluctuation of the thermal water table, as recorded in the calcite raft deposits and gypsum crusts.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20.6 | Vitozza | ||
| 21.1 | IL BUCONE [LA923] | 6 | |
| 21.5 | GROTTA DELL'INFERNACCIO [LA924] | 8 | |
| 21.5 | GROTTA DEL ROVETO [LA1275] | 6 | |
| 23.5 | GROTTA DI CARLI [LA1650] | 6 | |
| 23.9 | GROTTA DELLE SETTECANNELLE [LA1363] | 0 | |
| 24.0 | GROTTA DEL PATERNALE [LA1652] | 8 | |
| 24.7 | GROTTA MISA [LA331] | 24 | |
| 26.0 | BUCA DELLA FRANCIOLA [LA1325] | 25 |