Preface, by Franco Burragato

Preface
by F. Burragato

    July 1959: "Ovito del Verrecchie's Springs" (province of Aquila), first exploration of the cave; a human shape sitting on a stone emerging from the water speaks to me from the twilight with a firm, calm, lightly ironic voice and tells me: "go down, let go the ladder, the water is low". That is Mr. Chimenti speaking.
    So I go, with an instinctive movement I hold in a safe position my carbide lamp while I enter the water and slowly sink to my waist. Although I am wearing tall fishing boots, I become soaking wet. Of course I continued the exploration of the cave.
    After that, a new place-name have been added to the Register of Caves and in "Ovito di Verrecchie" now there is "F. Burragato's Lake". I am not sure to be proud of this.
    A speleological postulate: letting go a ladder without checking how deep is the water of a whirlpool is a stupid action for anyone that wants to go caving.
    That is how the Speleo Club Roma was: a bunch of people having a good time, irony, endurance tests, curiosity, experience, wish of knowing.
    While I take a look at these curious and amusing writings, printed to celebrate the Forty-Year of the Speleo Club foundation, I think that today we are still like that.
    The spirit of the Homo Speluncae, whose existence is not yet scientifically proved, according to me is present in the deep soul of all of us.
    The search for future, for what we expect from life, not knowing of what is after, for the unknown are all expressions of our living, of our becoming. Only looking back at our lives we can understand what we are, but we don't know what we will be. We know the entrance but not the exit, the end.
    Well, what can I say about all these unpublished details about our group and friendship? It feels good being together, like if those who have been members and for some circumstances of life cannot be today, they identify themselves with the young members; through the stories, the episodes and the situations we can see their characters, concerns and interests in caving.

Franco Burragato
8th October 1999

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