Mramornica Cave

Mramornica is entered through a collapsed doline, with a staircase running down into a single large chamber some sixty metres long, and its formations are the reason it is open: several columns and stalagmites here are among the tallest in Istria, one of them around ten metres. The cave was known and visited in the nineteenth century - names and dates scratched by early visitors are still on the walls - and was fitted with stairs and lighting for regular tours in the 2000s. Bones of cave bear and other Pleistocene animals have been found in the deposits. The temperature inside stays around fourteen degrees all year.

What you actually see

• Some of Istria's tallest formations - one column around ten metres.
• A single large chamber - about sixty metres long.
• Nineteenth century visitor graffiti - names and dates on the walls.
• Cave bear remains - found in the floor deposits.

When to go

April to October; tours run on a schedule. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Access is by guided tour only and times are limited outside summer. The staircase down and back is steep. It is cold and damp inside whatever the weather above. The visit is about forty minutes.

Nearby

Brtonigla's wine cellars are close; Novigrad is on the coast west.