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Equi
Terme è questa una delle località
più belle chi possono visitare.
La sua bellezza nasce
da una natura eccezionale, una spaccatura a strapiombo nella roccia
sotto la parete nord del Pizzo d'Uccello nelle Apuane sulle cui pareti
nidificano molte specie d'uccelli, fra cui l'Aquila reale,
ed ai cui piedi sgorga il fiume che dà il nome alla valle, il
Lucido. Siamo nel cuore del Parco delleAlpi Apuane.
Nell'età della
pietra antica (il paleolitico) la valle del Lucido fu frequentata da
gruppi di cacciatori neanderthaliani. Essi trovavano qui molti animali
da cacciare, fra cui cervi ed orsi delle caverne. Quegli orsi trovavano
nella tecchia il riparo, specialmente per il letargo. Ma, col tempo,
gli orsi come gli uomini di neanderthal si estinsero.
Per tutta l'età
della pietra nuova (il neolitico) la valle sembra sia stata disabitata
ma con la prima fra le età dei metalli, quella del rame (l'eneolitico)
nuovi gruppi di uomini, pastori innanzitutto, alla ricerca di acqua,
di sale, di metalli li trovarono qui e pertanto, probabilmente, vi si
fermarono per lunghi periodi dell'anno usando i pascoli e la valle per
vivere e le grotte (la Tecchia, la Tana della Volpe) per sepellire i
morti ed anche per i loro culti (fors'anche quello delle acque nel Buco
del Diavolo).
E così questo
che era stato il luogo della Natura, dell'acqua e della pietra, iniziò
ad essere abitato dagli uomini, fino ai giorni nostri.
Il Parco Culturale
delle Grotte di Equi è una struttura complessa
Si compone della Buca,
antica grotta naturalistica studiata fin dal '700 che, da quest'anno
2004, sarà visitabile per un nuovo lungo tratto;
della Tecchia,
oggi non ancora visitabile, ma documentata nel Museo delle Grotte e
presto collegata da un camminamento interno alla Buca;
del Museo
delle Grotte, struttura didattica naturalistica e storica il
cui compito è documentare scientificamente la suggestione che
questo luogo crea a chi vi arriva;
dell'Itinerario
del Solco d'equi, canyon naturale con piante insettivore in
cui si aprono la Tana della Volpe, grotticella sepolcrale, la Grotta
delle Felci e il Buco del Diavolo (dove forse si svolgeva il culto delle
acque);
dell'Archeoparco
formato dalla ricostruzione dell'ambiente paleolitico ed eneolitico
con ripari sottoroccia e capanne, in cui si svolgono attività
di archeologia sperimentale per rivivere giornate, lavori, sensazioni
della preistoria e della protostoria. Per vivere una giornata preistorica.
Let
the Equi Caves surprise you with their beauty!
An extraordinary natural setting, a plunging gash cut into the rock
face of the Pizzo d’Uccello in the Apuan Mtns, and a river –
the Lucido --springing from its base. This is the heart of the Apuan
Alps Park. Here many species of birds – among them the
bald eagle – come to make there nests.
During the oldest Stone Age (the Paleolithic) the Lucido valley was
visited by groups of Neanderthal hunters. Here they found many animals
to hunt, such as deer and cave bears. In fact, the cave bears would
shelter in the Tecchia cave, hibernating there. However, over time,
these bears – just like the Neanderthals – became extinct.
For all of the recent Stone Age (the Neolithic) the valley seems to
have been unpopulated; however, at the beginning of the metal ages,
during the Bronze age (the Eneolithic) new groups of humans -- mostly
shepherds – came. Here they found water, salt and metals; so they
stayed for long periods throughout the year. They used the fields and
valleys for living in; while the caves (the Tecchia and la Tana della
Volpe, the Fox’s Den) were for burying their dead and for worshipping
(probably a water divinity at Buco del Diavolo, the Devil’s Pit).
That is how this place of Nature, of Water, and of Stone came to be
used and lived in by humans, up to modern times.
The Equi Caves Cultural
Park is a multifaceted structure. It offers the visitor different
features and opportunities:
the Buca (the Pit), an ancient naturally-formed cave
that has been studied since the 1700s. Starting in 2004 a new, much
longer tract of it can be visited;
the Tecchia Cave, is described at the Caves Museum.
Although not yet visitable, it will soon be possible to see it from
a walkway leading off from inside the Pit Cave;
the Caves Museum, an educational center detailing the
caves’ development and human interaction over time, providing
a scientific background for the natural wonders surrounding the visitors;
the Solco d’Equi Walk (the Equi Cut Walk), a
natural canyon with insect-eating plants; here you’ll find theTana
della Volpe (the Fox’s Den), small burial caves, the Grotta delle
Felci (the Fern Cave), and the Buco del Diavolo (the Devil’s Pit),
where water-worshipping rites were probably performed;
the Archeopark consisting of a reconstruction of Paleolithic
and Eneolithic settings, with shelters and huts; here the hands-on archeological
activities take place, to relive the day-to-day life, tasks, and sensations
of prehistorical and protohistorical times.
THE ITINERARY
As you leave the reception area, go up to your right and, on your right,
you’ll find the Audiovisual Room, where you can see videos on
Neanderthal Man, Equi’s first inhabitants. As you come out, head
again towards your right to go into the Caves Museum. Here you’ll
find, on the upper level, explanations about the natural setting, while
down at the lower level, Prehistory and Protohistorical times at Equi.
After the museum keep going right. Before you get to the wooden bridge,
you can choose a trail. The path on the right takes you to the Eneolithic
hut (educational area #1), where you can freely do prehistorical time
activities. Instead, going straight across the bridge, you’ll
come to the entrance of the cave (la Buca, the Pit), where you can follow
the trail inside. After you come out, go to the right and you’ll
follow along the Water Trail, along the river, where you’ll find
some huts equipped for other educational activities. This is a loop
trail; you’ll end up once again at the town of Equi.
Hands-on educational and
archeological programs
"Discovering the past"
programs:
Weaving, pottery, milling spelt (an ancient form of wheat), cooking
focaccias, and art activities are all possible, as well as trying out
archery, using an axe or a daggar, and building shelters or huts. All
of these, assisted by instructors and guides, use prehistoric or protohistoric
methods.
"Discovering Nature"
programs:
Learning about the local karstic phenomena, plants and flowers, animals,
the waterways, and other naturalistic aspects of the Equi Apuan Mountains.
Environmental and prehistoric
walks to Solco di Equi (the Equi Cut)
The Equi Caves Cultural Park passes through the spectacular canyon of
Solco di Equi; here, with a guide, you will be led to areas of naturalistic
(insect-eating plants) and prehistoric (small burial or water-worshipping
grottos) interest.
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