La Grotta dell’Orso – Valle Intelvi

March 4, 2024

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The Bear's Cave is located in Italian territory, a few hundred meters from the summit of Monte Generoso. It can be reached on foot along the path that starts from Orimento or by going up near the Monte Generoso Railway station (CH). Located on the eastern side of the mountain, the cave has for millennia guarded an important deposit consisting of a good number of finds from the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), which lived in the area and has been extinct for around 20,000 years. The Bear's Cave was discovered in 1988 by two speleologists from the Ticino Section, belonging to the Swiss Speleology Association, who, traveling through the area in summer, identified the opening. At the time of discovery, before the interventions to facilitate access for tourist purposes which took place in 1998, the Cave consisted of a narrow initial tunnel, approximately 25 meters long, through which one accessed a first room ("Saletta"). from which, through a narrow and difficult siphon, after about 70 meters you reached a larger room ("Terminal Room") inside which the first cave bear finds (Ursus spelaeus) were found which gave the decisive impulse for the execution of the first paleontological excavations (1991). The first studies relating to finds of Ursus spelaeus and Ursus arctos collected on the surface took place in 1989. Given the stability and safety of the Cave, tourists were allowed to visit the cavity following an excavation which involved it from the entrance to at the beginning of the “Terminal Hall”. Paleontological material was also found here which attests to the presence of other animal species such as the wolf, the moose, the brown bear, the megacer deer and small mammals; finally, the discovery of flint artefacts testifies to the sporadic presence of Neanderthal man on this site. The Bear Cave, whose internal temperature is between eight and ten degrees centigrade, can now be visited in the summer months with a guide. Inside you can see the reconstruction of the skeleton of a "cave" bear and several bones found: mandibles, skulls, tibias, humeri, teeth; finally, thanks to the support of augmented reality, visitors will be able to live a real prehistoric experience!!!

The revaluation of the cave is part of a project financed by Interreg, an operation co-financed by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund, the Italian State, the Swiss Confederation and the Cantons as part of the Interreg VA Italy-Switzerland Cooperation Programme.

To book the visit: https://www.mendrisiottoturismo.ch/it/commons/details/La-Grotta-dell-Orso/14911.html

Visit the dedicated Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/grottadellorso/

Method of access to the Cave:

– It is recommended to bring a jacket or other covering clothing with you.
– In case of bad weather the site will not be usable.

The Municipality of Centro Valle Intelvi has organized a shuttle bus service to reach the hamlet of Orimento. From June to September, it is possible to leave your car in San Fedele or Casasco and, with the shuttle, reach Orimento, and then venture on foot towards the Bear's Cave. Don't worry because the shuttle will then be waiting to take you back to your car! What are you waiting for, leave it to the Municipality of Centro Valle Intelvi