The Matese Massif, an impressive karstic mountain complex, conceals within its depths a breathtaking cave system, making it one of the most significant hypogeal sites in the Southern Apennines. Among them, the Abyss Pozzo della Neve stands out for its majesty and complexity.
Located in the beechwood of Costa del Carpine, in the locality of Tornieri, within the WWF Oasis of Guardiaregia-Campochiaro, this spectacular abyss lies in a high-value environmental protected area, part of the largest SIC-ZPS zone in Molise. The abyss has two entrances: the main one, at an altitude of 1330 m above sea level, is naturally formed, while the secondary one, at 1368 m, was artificially opened in 1984.
With a depth of 1048 meters and a total extension of 8 kilometers, Pozzo della Neve ranks as the sixth deepest cave in Italy and 51st in the world ranking. Its exploration began in 1955 when a group of Roman speleologists discovered its entrance and initially explored it up to -110 m. Further expeditions in 1962 and 1972 led to the discovery of new branches reaching -731 m, while in 1988, the cave bottom was reached at -1,045 m. Since 2008, the Speleomatese collective, comprising numerous associations and speleologists, has continued the exploration through dedicated summer camps.