Among the approximately one hundred known caves in the Bernadia Mountains area, few are easily accessible. One of these is the new cave of Villanova, discovered in 1925, which reaches a length of approximately 7 kilometres. Since the year of its discovery, it was made accessible from the center of the village (Russa village at an altitude of 665 meters a.s.l.). Since 1984, a new, more convenient artificial entrance has been available, allowing visitors to access its middle part in the most picturesque sections: the Paradise branch, the Indian crypt, the crystal room, and the Margherita hall. The cave is an important example of a cavity that expanded due to indirect karstification, set in the overlying limestone bank, where the widening of the fissures occurs due to direct karstification: in contact with the underlying marl-sandstone rocks, the infiltration of water has caused the gallery to expand causing erosion and collapses. Some endemic invertebrates of the cave are of considerable interest. Accessibility: moving from Tarcento towards the upper Torre valley, ascend to Villanova Grotte. After passing the village of Funtic, continue towards Monteaperta, up to the bar: from here, the cave entrance can be reached in a few minutes by foot.
