Grotta del Freddo

Useful Information

Location:	Via Grotta del Freddo, 91017 Pantelleria TP. (36.7928147, 11.9607626)
Open:	no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	lava cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Grotta del Freddo, Via Grotta del Freddo, 91017 Pantelleria TP, Tel: +39-0
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Grotta del Freddo (Cold Cave) is located at the end of Via Grotta del Freddo in Bukkuram. So there is no sign for the sight, but a road sign with the name on it. Follow the road almost to the end, in a narrow turn to the left the short trail to the cave starts on the right side. There is a small wooden sign and arrows in white paint on the rocks.

The island Pantelleria is of volcanic origin, and there are numerous hot springs and fumaroles on the island. Numerous caves are hot and used as a natural sauna. It seems the locals found it exceptional that this cave was actually not hot. The cave has a temperature of only 10 °C, which is actually too low. The point is, that caves without thermal water have the same temperature as the average temperature outside. However, this island in almost in Africa, at the border to Tunisia, the average temperature on the island is 18 °C. So there must be some kind of cold trap which causes the extremely low temperatures. Quite interesting is the fact that the Natural park did not recognize this strange effect, they have no description, it is not a geosite, and the categorized it of low interest. Actually the opposite is the case, this cold trap is not only special, it seems unique on the island.

The cave is actually not a cave, its more like a shelt, an overhanging cliff face. At one pont there is a wall witha a huge window and a small room behind. Probably the locals built the wall to use the acve as a sort of refrigerator. The history of the site would be interesting as well.