The Caves of Castellana open in south-eastern Murge, a limestone plateau dating back to the upper Cretaceous (ninety- one hundred million years ago) and rising 330 metres above sea level.

For millions of years generations of these life forms-plants and marine molluscs succeeded each other and died, so their empty shells and their carcasses were piled up on the seabed, forming a giant deposit of mud and sand, that with a continuous growth was compressed forming limestone layers for a total thickness of several kilometres.

Starting since 66 million years ago, the gradual raising of the land brought the region to its current aspect.

The eluvial water of large rainfall infiltrated into the subsurface soil and rock and created massive groundwater aquifer.

In certain cases a large number of cracks intersected and so there were several frequent collapses, while the thickness of the rock, that separated the cave from the outside, was so reduced that the vault fell down.

In front of the visitor takes place the final scene: two high and huge columns seem to support the vault of the last hall, embellished everywhere by white stalactites and coral concretions.

This term is used to indicate the mineral deposits that covered the naked walls of a cave by crystallisation of the calcite carried in solution by infiltrating rain water, that had penetrated all the overhanging layers of the rock by a very slow seepage.

Unlike other stalactites, they grow multidirectionally in capricious ways, i.e. horizontally to the floor, developing weird curved patterns and even upwardly.

The first factor is the possible presence of draughts in the caves that would drive horizontally the direction of the drops and therefore the growth of the concretion.

The 23 January 1938, finally, Anelli climbed down into the Grave, whose bottom was full of a large amount of waste material, accumulated there by the passing of time.

This cavern was so huge that his acetylene lamp could not light the vault and the walls and so he decided to come back two days later to continue his exploration.

Vincenzo Longo (1737–1825), humanist and expert on law from Castellana, probably was the first man who descended in the Grave together with a big group of young people.

In the 19th century the Chorographical-Universal Dictionary of Italy vouched for the truth of the achievement: A little more than a mile far from Castellana there is a natural sight, a chasm called the Grave by common people.

It is dedicated to Professor Franco Anelli (1899–1977), born in Lodi, who was speleologist, discover, populariser as well as passionate director of the Caves of Castellana.

They share Professor Anelli's idea to spread among school students "the knowledge about the underground world and the scientific studies related to it through lively visual illustration of the subsurface and the physical, biological and anthropic phenomena which take place in the underground or which took place thousands of years ago at the time of the geological history of Italy".

Moreover, in the museum are offered cultural activities, with the aim to promote education and learning by means of interactive workshops and specific lessons holding directly inside the caves.

One of these cultural activities is speleojunior that gives students the opportunity to feel the emotion of the darkness and to learn the most secret features of the caves.

Among the most famous visitors of the caves in the period of their launching as tourist attraction there were Luigi Einaudi (1874–1961), Aldo Moro (1916–1978), Enrico Mattei (1906–1962), Gina Lollobrigida, Silvana Pampanini, Margareth aus England (1930–2002) and Tito Schipa (1888–1965).

They are: The Age of the Love (1953) by Michael Hamilton (but he is Lionello De Felice), Hercules in the Haunted World (1961) by Mario Bava and Franco Prosperi, Maciste in Hell (1962) by Riccardo Freda; Casanova 70 (1965) by Mario Monicelli, The King of Criminals (1968) by Paul Maxwell (but he is Paolo Bianchini); Stellar Clashes beyond the Third Dimension (1978) by Lewis Coates (but he is Luigi Cozzi); Alien 2: On Earth (1980) by Sam Cromwell (but he is Ciro Ippolito) and Biagio Proietti and an episode of the TV series Holiday Profession (1986) by Vittorio De Sisti.

Additionally, two films by Antonio Leonviola shot here: TAUR IL RE DELLA FORZA BRUTA (1963), and its sequel LE GLADIATRICI (1963).

The English version of the former (TOR, MIGHTY WARRIOR) carries an end credit which says "The producers wish to express their gratitude to the Yugoslave (sic) authorities for granting permission to shoot some scenes in the grottoes of Postumia".