Cassino (FR) – Eurokarst 2024 and the blue gold of the Gari sources in an open-air laboratory

Eurokarst is the biennial European conference on the hydrogeology of karst and carbonate basins and offers a platform for professional exchange between sector operators and researchers from all over the world.

As part of the Eurokarst 2024 international congress, held for the first time in Italy at the DST-Sapienza University of Rome, on Friday 14.06.2024 the DICeM- Unicas organized a visit to the sources of the Gari di Cassino with a meeting in the spectacular scenery naturalistic of the “Terme Varroniane”, a true treasure chest of blue gold.

The prestigious international event saw Cassino and the blue gold of the spectacular Gari springs as a unique example of its kind, in the context of the hydrogeological studies conducted by the prof.’s research group. geol. Michele Saroli of DICeM-Unicas made up of professors M. Fiorucci, M. Race, F. Bianco and doctor E. Zullo of LaTAR-Laboratorio Terra, Ambiente e Diritti, in collaboration with Eng. M. Albano, the geol. M. Moro and A. Frepoli of INGV and the research group of prof. geol. Marco Petitta of DST-Sapienza.

The event was attended by researchers and professionals from different parts of the world, who had the opportunity to visit the sources of the Gari, the delivery area of ​​one of the largest karst hydrogeological systems in Europe.

The visit took place in the fantastic setting of the “Terme Varroniane” owned by the Simeone family since 1946, for having purchased the property, which at the time was anything but pleasant and usable following the war events that razed the town to the ground. entire Cassino. The foresight of Comm. Giuseppe Simeone was rewarded and, today, it makes it possible for us to enjoy one of the most impressive private natural parks and springs in Italy.

The management of the “Terme Varroniane”, a name coined only in the mid-1950s, takes place through Simeone SrL, (with the availability of Mr. Fabio Simeone, president of the Board of Directors), an active partner in the field of hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical research for many years that Unicas leads to the Cassino area.

The area represents, in fact, a true open-air laboratory where the sensitivity of Simeone srl has allowed over time to establish a collaborative relationship for the in-depth research on karst hydrogeological systems, also with the installation of experimental instruments for the acquisition of hydrogeochemical data.