The little climb up the Torrente Silisia gorge to Lago di Cà Selva is one of my favorites. Its wild rock and pines remind me of Silverwood Lake in southern California (minus the manzanita). The music of the river far below graces this otherwise silent place.
After climbing up the gorge and descending almost to the dam, I tried something new. There is another mountain lake a few miles north called Cà Zul. The only road is via two construction tunnels from 1961 when the dam was built. They are unlit, very narrow, over one mile long each, and have water pouring down the walls. This fellow describes them.
I thought I'd bring along a light and see if I could ride through them. The concrete pavement wasn't bad at first, and they have the invading water routed through drains under the pavement. It was absolutely pitch black- the only light was my little Cateye headlight illuminating a little spot a few feet ahead of my wheel. I thought maybe I could make it. After a few hundred meters the sound of water pouring down the walls grew much louder, and the concrete floor turned very rough and rocky. With a mountain bike it might be possible, but no, I couldn't ride it. I turned around and looked back at the white dot of the entrance. It seemed so far away.
When I re-emerged at Cà Selva I was very happy to be back in the open air. After enjoying the view of the lake, I headed back down the gorge and home. It was noon now on the plain and quite hot. Felt so good getting home and taking a soothing soak.
There's another option to visit Cà Zul, a hike from Tramonti di Sopra. I'll try that soon.
Noisy rapids far down in the gorge
Entrance to the black hole
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