We felt the desire for something that would add to our knowledge and that would give us an emotion to be impressed in our mind and which we could have with us always. After some thoughtful consideration, we chose meditation in the new cave of Villanova near Lusevera.

Caves in general are very special places; the speleological guides tell us of underground worlds to discover that are very fascinating. The cave is also the womb of mother earth, an underground tunnel that takes us back to the centre of the planet by descending a mere 200 metres in total serenity.

The new cave of Villanova, discovered in 1925, is defined as active: water flows through it constantly and this is in itself a very important feature as it is pure, but in this context it also takes on a meaning that goes beyond, that connects to stories of local memories, of legends that speak of ancient female figures with mysterious and with ancestral knowledge, the “Agane”, who fed the surrounding villages with stories.

We begin the descent along the easy and well lit stairways: I feel calm, but then I see a large animal, a bear, but fortunately it is fake; it is the mascot of this cave.

My eyes search out details along the rock walls: stalactites, stalagmites. Tiziana explains to us how certain phenomena occur, the compositions, and the types of little animals that live here.

Strange forms appear before us: sails, ravines and natural rooms, one with a small lake: in short, an enchanting new world. The time comes for the preparation for meditation, in the dark and in silence with only the background of the sound of the water... We light our torches, take a few steps and enter a special space created for our further experience; the lights become dim, the silence turns into sound and the meditation begins, always accompanied by the sound of pure water that cleans the thoughts together with the air.

On the way back, we go climb numerous steps, but laughter, sharing of thoughts and chatter with new and old encounters, makes it extremely pleasant and I understand how much wellbeing comes not only from the contact with nature (to which we must always show great respect), but in particular with the context of the cave, because it envelops you, protects you like a mother, and also represents our past from millions of years ago.

A beautiful metaphor from our special guide states: “Going underground is like entering our brain and as we descend, we descend into ourselves”.

All this beauty can be visited by booking from the site and can be added to by visiting adjacent areas such as the upper Val Torre in the Prealpi Giulie nature reserve, or by enjoying a refreshment with typical local products of the Colli Orientali, as we did, thus crowning a day that will remain in my heart forever along with the legends of the Agane, the water fairies, and the deep world of the new caves of Villanova.