Sept. 9 – Burrows, tunnels, and caves, stalactites and stalagmites, light and shadow, earth and water. The ceaseless work of nature, which began 35 million years ago, gave birth to the Caves of Pertosa-Auletta, a mysterious and evocative sight that each year attracts thousands of visitors. Considered one of the greatest environmental and cultural attractors within the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano and Albumi (Salerno), the Caves are a UNESCO Geopark sight. And this magnificent natural attraction will be in Turkey for XX International Congress of the European Association of Archaeologists, scheduled from tomorrow until September 14 in Istanbul. The session on “Caves as ritual spaces in later prehistoric Europe” will feature a scientific presentation on the Cilento Caves. The session will be the perfect occasion to present the research carried out by Felice Larocca (University of Bari Aldo Moro) and Maria De Falco (University of Naples L’Orientale) on “Water sacredness and underground protohistoric cults within the Caves of Pertosa (Campania, Italy).” The Caves of Pertosa-Auletta are of fundamental importance for understanding the early history of the Italian underground ritual scene. The incredible extent and continuity of the cults celebrated in the caves during prehistory and different historic periods confirm the uniqueness of the archaeological site. The advancement of scientific research and conservation were made possible by the steady, substantial and passionate support of the MIdA Foundation: “We are excited that the research conducted within the Caves of Pertosa-Auletta can be presented at such an important event for the world of archeology; and we are proud that the adopted approach can now be taken as a model for the study of caves in Europe,” said enthusiastically MIdA president Francescantonio D’Orilia.