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Valbrenta, Italy

8 caves · down to 292 m · 1 suitable for an intro team

Cave diving in the Valbrenta

  • Caves8
  • Max depth292 m
  • Water temperature8–9 °C
  • Dive centres2
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Diving and fills

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Fills nearby

  • Fill stationAREA SUB (Nautica Treviso)Air, nitrox, O₂, trimix (according to the SSI centre page)Route ↗
  • Fill stationNautica MareAir (up to 250 bar; also oil-free air for O₂-clean cylinders), nitrox, O₂, trimixRoute ↗
All 2 providers ↓

Why come here

In the Brenta valley between Bassano del Grappa and Cismon, cold karst springs pour out of the mountain: the Elefante Bianco, where a diver reached -292 m in 2026, the long sumps of Oliero and the tight Fontanazzi. The water is 8–9 °C all year. In the entrance zone of Oliero's Covol dei Veci you can start at cavern level, but nearly everything else needs full cave, and in the Fontanazzi sidemount is the norm. At most springs you book or notify first: Oliero online, the Elefante Bianco at least 10 days ahead with the municipality, and the Gorgazzo in Friuli with the mayor's authorisation. After heavy rain the water turns murky with strong flow, and eleven cave divers have died in the Elefante Bianco, Oliero and the Fontanazzi since the 1970s (as of 2017).

Don't miss

  • Grotta dell'Elefante Bianco (Laghetto di Ponte Subiolo): down to -40 m you swim through a big passage with boulders, then over limestone slabs to the rim of the shaft at -52 m, already beyond the limit for air, so on trimix with a deco plan; with no silt or clay the visibility holds throughout the dive.
  • Covol dei Veci (Grotte di Oliero): the active spring of one of Europe's largest karst springs, with visibility often 10–20 m or more, where local centres run cavern and intro courses.
  • Grotta dei Fontanazzi: beyond the tight entrance lies a main passage ~10 m wide with a large breakdown zone and fine erosion forms, according to IDF one of the most beautiful caves in Western Europe.
  • Sorgente del Gorgazzo: in dry periods the water is so clear that you can see the Christ statue at -9 m from the shore.

On a rest day

  • Grotte di Oliero: Cross the underground lake of the Grotta Parolini by wooden boat, staying dry this time, and visit the speleology and karst museum in the park by the springs.
  • Bassano del Grappa: Walk across the roofed timber bridge over the Brenta, designed by Palladio and also known as the Ponte degli Alpini.
  • Marostica: The walled town with a large chessboard laid into the square in front of the lower castle, and a path up the hill to the upper castle with wide views.

All 8 caves

Configuration
My certification

1 closed not shown ·

SiteMax depth
Covol dei Siori (Grotta Parolini, Oliero)Entry or dive feeSidemount · Full cave63 m
Covol dei Veci (Grotte di Oliero)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern55 m
Fontanon di GoriudaNot known yet · Full cave–
Grotta dei FontanazziSidemount · Full cave120 m
Grotta dell'Elefante Bianco (Laghetto di Ponte Subiolo)Permission neededBackmount · Full cave292 m
Risorgenza di Rio TorrettaSidemount · Full cave74 m
Sorgente del GorgazzoPermission neededEntry or dive feeSidemount · Full cave42 m

Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.

Map

Cave

Dive centres and fill stations

2 dive centres, fill stations and instructors

  • Dive centre

    AREA SUB (Nautica Treviso)

    Via Noalese 9, 31100 Treviso

    Fills
    Air, nitrox, O₂, trimix · Tue–Sat 9:00–12:30 and 16:00–20:00
    Training
    SSI
    Website ↗Route ↗

  • Dive centre

    Nautica Mare

    Via Verona 15, 37042 Caldiero (VR)

    Fills
    Air (up to 250 bar · Mon 9:00–12:30
    Training
    Cavern, Intro to cave, Full cave
    Guided dives
    Grotta dell'Elefante Bianco (Laghetto di Ponte Subiolo)
    Rental
    Tech gear (doubles, stages, wings)
    Website ↗Route ↗

Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Valstagna (Valbrenta) and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.

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Where to stay

Find a place near Valstagna (Valbrenta), Bassano del Grappa, Solagna, Valdastico, Polcenigo, Chiusaforte

Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:

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Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers

Emergencies

  • 112, or 118 for an ambulance; DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
  • Hyperbaric chambers (SIMSI list March 2024, all with 24-hour service): OTI Medicale, Via degli Avieri 29, Torri di Quartesolo (VI), +39 0444 380240 (closest to Valstagna); ATiP, Via A. Cornaro 1, Padova, +39 049 807 0843 (activated 24/7 via 118); Istituto Iperbarico, Via Francia 35, Villafranca di Verona, +39 045 630 0300; O.T.I. Services, Via delle Macchine 15, Marghera (VE), +39 041 538 1182; for Friuli: Ospedale di Cattinara, Strada di Fiume 447, Trieste, +39 040 399 4178 / 4175.

Access and rules

  • Oliero (Covol dei Veci and dei Siori): online booking only, with Ivan Team, who run the park visits for the Comune di Valbrenta — at least 3 days ahead, €10 per diver, credit card, digital check-in per diver; office +39 0424 558250 (Mon–Fri). Park open March–October, closed Mondays (September: Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00); boat access depends on weather and water level.
  • Elefante Bianco: since 2008 every dive must be notified to the municipality at least 10 days ahead, with personal data and dive plan; signs in Italian and English at the lake. The fax/e-mail in the regulation belong to the former Comune di Valstagna — ask the Comune di Valbrenta how to notify now.
  • Gorgazzo (Polcenigo, PN): authorisation from the mayor, at least 7 working days ahead; zones to -18/-30/-42 m, 2–6 divers; €6 + €4 per person per session; Saturdays and public holidays 9:00–16:00 (Oct–Apr) or 9:00–18:00 (May–Sep), weekdays via the Centro Pordenonese Sommozzatori.

Gas and fills

  • Gas: no fill station is known in the Valbrenta itself. Nautica Mare (Caldiero, VR) and AREA SUB (Treviso) fill air, nitrox, O₂ and trimix; walk-in fills for visitors and sofnolime/CCR support: ask.

Water and season

  • Water 8–9 °C year-round, air in the caves ~12 °C. Clear in dry periods; after heavy rain murky with strong flow — according to a 1999 description the Elefante Bianco needed 15 days or more to clear. Oliero discharges ~15 m³/s on average, double that in wet periods.

Safety

  • Safety: eleven cave divers have died in Elefante Bianco, Oliero and Fontanazzi since the 1970s (as of 2017). Accidents are handled by the fire brigade divers (Vigili del Fuoco) and the CNSAS (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico).

Getting around

  • Valbrenta: the springs lie in the Brenta valley between Bassano del Grappa and Cismon. Valstagna, Campolongo sul Brenta, San Nazario and Cismon del Grappa merged into the municipality of Valbrenta on 30 January 2019; Solagna (Fontanazzi) is a separate municipality.

Rest day

  • Rest day: boat tour in the Grotta Parolini and the caving museum at Oliero; rafting and canoeing on the Brenta (Ivan Team, Solagna); in the Valsugana the Grotta della Bigonda (guided visits in winter only) and the Grotta del Calgeron (guided visits; the path was closed for works in Sept 2026).

News

News articles that mention one of the caves in this region, collected automatically and not checked by us.

Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines.

Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.

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Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Current conditions

Visibility, flow and water levels change quickly. Right before your dive, check what other divers report:

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Compiled from web research (Grotte di Oliero/Ivan Team, Federazione Speleologica Veneta, CNSAS Veneto, Gruppo Grotte Giara Modon and Speleosubtek, FVG cave cadastre, Gorgazzo municipal regulation, dive centres, expedition and dive reports, news reports, SIMSI chamber list; Sept 2026). Pins from OpenStreetMap, the FVG cadastre or converted Monte Mario coordinates (see each site); ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.