Balma del Messere, walled cave in Cantarana, Ormea, Italy

Balma del Messere is a natural cave at the foot of a rock face opposite the Cantarana hamlet in the municipality of Ormea, in the Tanaro valley. Its large opening is closed by a wall of local stone bound with compact mortar, with two small doors at the ends, four splayed arrow slits, and two large windows about 4 metres up, one walled in with stone. The interior covers roughly 200 m² and has no permanent dripping.

The walled cave is linked by oral tradition to the 10th-century Saracen raids in the Tanaro valley, whose fighters probably reached it from the Nava or Signori passes and built a fortified frassineto here. The site also preserves traces of much older use: excavations near the left door revealed a pit, and the Tanaro valley shows no Palaeolithic remains but Neolithic occupation from 5000–2200 BC.

The name Balma del Messere is tied by some historians to the legend of Aleramo and Adelasia, who may have sheltered here while fleeing Emperor Otto; the cave is also called Grotta dei Saraceni after the 10th-century raids. In Ormea the Saracen period survives in the historical carnival of the Aboi, and at Bagnasco a folklore group performs a bal do sabre, a sword dance in Arab costumes.

Access is via a gravel path starting from Cantarana at approximately 955 meters elevation, requiring a moderate walk. Bring a flashlight, as the interior is difficult to explore without artificial light.

The wall's central recess at window height likely held a wooden floor, now vanished, that split the cave into two levels. Near the left side door, the pit dug during archaeological excavations is still visible. The interior, about 200 m², has no permanent dripping.