Grotta di Sant’Angelo in Criptis

Grotta di Sant’Angelo Santeramo

Useful Information

Location:	Lamalunga Sant’Angelo, Strada comunale esterna, SNC, 70029 Santeramo in Colle BA. (40.8248662, 16.7037077)
Open:	All year Sat, Sun 16:30-20:30. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 8, Children (8-14) EUR 5, Children (0-7) free, Locals EUR 5, Families EUR 22. [2026]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Grotta di Sant’Angelo in Criptis, Lamalunga Sant’Angelo, Strada comunale esterna, SNC, 70029 Santeramo in Colle BA, WhatsApp: +39-3758344382. E-mail:
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

07-JUN-2025

Sant’Angelo Cave Visitor Centre opened to the public.

Description

Grotta di Sant’Angelo is one of dozens of caves in Italy with that name, and generally the angel to which the name refers is Archangel Michael. We have problems as such generic names create mixups, and we decided to use the alternate name Grotta di Sant’Angelo in Criptis. Grotta di Sant’Angelo Santeramo is also possible and refers to the location only a few kilometers northwest of the village Santeramo in Colle. This is the version used by wikipedia. Another problem with this site is its classification, because if you look at the pictures on the website or on Google Maps you will see lots of vaulted cellars as well as religious murals. Even the Wikipedia page has only pictures of historic buildings, normal buildings which are called lamioni as well as trulli, but not a single speleothem. Nevertheless, Grotta di Sant’Angelo is a karst cave with numerous speleothems and a well developed trail and eliectric light.

This cave seems to have been frequented by humans since prehistoric times, but since antiquity it was dedicated to the micaelic cult. It was visited by pilgrims and the entrance section was transformed into a cave church. Some time ago the municipality of Santeramo in Colle renovated the site and created a museum as well as a visitor center, which was finally inaugurated in 2025. Since then, it is possible to visit the site and there are frequent events at the site. The cultural part of the site takes place in the above ground buildings which were renovted.

A visit to the cave includes a tour of the exhibition area housed within the building. The entrance part of the cave has painted decorations and thousands of inscriptions, which is unique in Italy. Unfortunately such cave paintings are quite fragile, and there is a Conservative Restoration Project for the paintings pending. Once restauration is completed and the microclimate monitoring is installed, visits in small groubs will be available. Currently only the Visitor Center and museum are open to the public.