Easy Hikes around Lucca: Part 2
Location of Grotta all'Onda
The Grotta all'Onda prehistoric cave lies deep in the woods at 2,300 feet of elevation on the southern slope of Monte Matanna above the village of Casoli, which itself is above the town of Camaiore in the province of Lucca.
Except for a break during the coldest part of the last Ice Age, this cave was occupied from the Paleolithic era 40,000 years ago all the way up to the Bronze Age, first by late period Neanderthals and then by Homo Sapiens.
The last lions in Europe roamed this area based on discoveries found in the cave and in the Neolithic period farmers and shepherds arrived leaving behind traces of their various tools, terracotta pots and leather. Evidence has also survived showing that these later occupants traded by land and sea with Sardinia, Liguria and Southern France but by the Iron Age, and certainly during the Etruscan period, the cave was largely abandoned as a permanent dwelling place.
Despite being at 2,300 feet above sea level you can easily see why it was in constant use for thousands of years because it's deep and spacious on the inside and on the outside there's a waterfall from above that provides a constant stream of freshwater through holes in the rock.
The walk to La Grotta all'Onda - about 3.5 miles with 1,400 feet elevation change
The previous hike we wrote about on Monte Matanna required you to drive an hour north out of Lucca past Borgo a Mozzano and Pescaglia, but for this walk in order to reach the southern slope of the same mountain you instead take the much shorter journey west from Lucca to Camaiore.
From Camaiore there is only one road up to the village of Casoli and it's well signposted. Before reaching Casoli there is a turnoff to another popular hike to the Candalla waterfall that we'll write about another time.
Once you arrive at Casoli, continue along the road until you reach the Osteria il Chiosco nel Bosco at the side of the road. If you park your car just after the Osteria and walk up Via di Mezzana the hike will be a little shorter than the full 4.3 miles of the Tre Scolli loop and you'll also spend less time walking along the road to return to your car.
Via di Mezzana is a steep road that has a few sharp bends and becomes narrower and less well paved. About 10 minutes after passing a water fountain you'll be rewarded with some good views of Camaiore and the Tuscan coastline and then you'll come across a poorly marked concrete path that is perpendicular to the road and in fact covers an aqueduct conduit running underneath the path. You turn right here and stay on this trail all the way to the cave.
Keep to the path by looking for red paint signs on rocks and trees, some of which are easy to spot but others have faded over time. The aqueduct trail is quite flat until you reach a large protruding rock (above photo) that they've built a walkway around to avoid people having to crawl. At this point follow the red signs that will take you uphill to the left.
About 15 minutes later you'll come across a couple of concrete water basins and then after another 20 minutes you'll reach La Grotta all'Onda which is the highest point of the walk. It's an impressive cave with the mossy area directly beneath the cascading water a bright shade of emerald green contrasting with the dry surroundings.
The way back to Casoli and the Osteria is quicker and simpler. Continue along the path and you will start to see better signage including Path No.2 which will take you down to a small bridge and then the town of Casoli at which point you walk back along the road to the Osteria.
This is an easy walk requiring only a little fitness but there is nothing technically difficult about it and it can be comfortably completed in 2-3 hours.
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