In a mountainous area near Trieste, an area that includes the first-ever (1633) cave opened to tourists, Italy and Slovenia have opened GeoKarst, a new park funded in part by the European Union.
The area, known as the Karst, is known for porous, soluble limestone in its soil, which allows erosion and underground streams to create huge caverns, sinkholes and more.
GeoKarst’s two main features are the Vilenica and Skocjan caverns, both on the Slovenian side of the border, but connected to cave systems extending many miles, including underground rivers. Velinica was first opened to visitors in 1633.
The area along the Adriatic coast, ruled for centuries by Austria, later saw years of contention between Italy and Slovenia, though they now share many projects. Gorizia in Italy and Nova Gorica, Slovenia share a border and shared last year’s honors as the EU’s Capital of Culture.
