canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Gola di Conca Casale

The little town of Venafro, whose origins date back to the Samnites, stands in the homonymous plain, crossed by river Volturno and surrounded by towering limestone mountains, among which stands out the unmistakable bulk of Sammucro (or Sambucaro). On these mountains the karst is the master, bringing underground almost all rainwater, which sees the light in the abundant karst springs of the plain. The few surface streams are almost always dry, and are reactivated only in the wettest periods of the year or during exceptional rainfall. In short, the mountains of Venafro are not a good area for canyoning.

Yet even here we can find canyons, which in this moist and rich in vegetation karst environment take on particular features. One canyon is particularly impressive. It originates from the karst plain on which stands the village of Conca Casale and deepens while descending to the valley of torrent Rava.

I remember ...

Like most mountainous or hilly places in Italy, also the valley of Rava was much more populated in the past than it is today. The sides of the mountains were everywhere cultivated or used for pasture, or covered by forests that were cut regularly. Today these sites are returning to the wild, and the vegetation is reclaiming what at the time had been taken away by Man.

Photos and video by Michele Angileri e Andrea Pucci

Photographs in this website show ultralight ropes (6 mm ropes made of high tenacity fibers). Read multimedia book Ultralight ropes canyoning technique to learn how to use them.

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