For years I’ve heard stories about the old mines in Istria, Croatia and especially the one in the front yard of our summer house. So when I found a volunteer crazy enough to explore the uncharted depths I couldn’t resist attaching a harness to her and setting out on a mini-adventure (caving in my front yard that is).
So what is this labyrinth in my front yard? According to my father, many of these mines were dug to retrieve a chalky substance that was mixed with lime (I think) to create a natural mortar for building foundations.
Over time they were abandoned and used as garbage dumps until brush covered the entrances. This mine consists of two chambers with two entrances (both filled with lose sand and stones from recent bush clearing and ground leveling). The camber we enter first is about 5x5x5 meters with solid rock walls. The second camber is predominantly composed of a white chalky substance. It is about 5x5x5m in the first part then a passage goes deeper that leads into a maze of small scary chambers that pass below a local road.
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So what’s the plan. To create a very cool wine cellar naturally.
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