Ispinigoli

Grotta di Ispinigoli opens into a limestone chamber on the Supramonte above Dorgali. A column nearly thirty-eight metres high rises from floor to ceiling, while the wider karst system contains archaeological traces from Nuragic, Punic and Roman times.

Why it matters

Ispinigoli is a prominent cave in the karst landscape above Dorgali. Its main chamber contains a limestone column about thirty-eight metres high. The cave forms part of a larger underground system that connects with the nearby San Giovanni su Anzu cave.

What to notice

The central column formed where a stalactite descending from the ceiling joined a stalagmite rising from the floor. The cave’s galleries and concretions show how water shaped the limestone. Archaeological material from Nuragic, Punic and Roman periods has also been found inside, along with fossils of a glacial-era otter.

Context and history

Systematic exploration began in 1954 with the Gruppo Grotte Nuoro. The museum account records the death of speleologist Eraldo Saracco in the cave in 1965; a plaque commemorates him. The connection between the Ispinigoli and San Giovanni sections was completed in 1995. The cave opened as a public attraction in 1974 and is managed within the Dorgali museum network.