Grottes troglodytiques de Villecroze, Cave system in Villecroze, France.
The Grottes troglodytiques de Villecroze is a cave system carved from limestone with natural formations and modified living spaces distributed across multiple levels within a park setting. The rooms still display windows and openings cut directly into the rock walls.
The caves were first documented in 1065 and served as shelter for Benedictine monks. Later fortification in the sixteenth century transformed the site into its present form.
The caves reveal how people adapted stone shelters into homes during medieval times, carving windows and defensive openings directly into the rock. Walking through the spaces today, you can observe the marks of daily living and how residents organized their underground dwellings.
The park is easily explored on foot, with marked trails connecting the various cave entrances and levels. Sturdy footwear is recommended since the paths follow natural terrain and can be slippery in places.
A waterfall plunges 35 meters down travertine cliffs, continuously depositing minerals that shape the caves' geological structure. This ongoing natural process continues to define the site's appearance and development.
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