Underground city beneath Camerano with tunnels dating from the Piceni era through the Roman Empire and into the medieval period, when the caves served as a Knights Templar stronghold containing symbols matching those found on Oak Island.
About This Site
The Camerano Caves are an extensive underground network beneath the town of Camerano in the Marche region of central Italy. The system dates back more than 2,500 years: the Piceni people are believed to have created the original chambers around 600 B.C., and the area was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 290 B.C. During the 12th to 14th centuries, the caves served as a Knights Templar stronghold, with an entrance modeled after the Holy Sepulchre dating to the 13th century. After the dissolution of the Templar order in 1312, surviving members are believed to have used the underground spaces as secret gathering places. The cave system includes the Burchiani Cave, also known as the Venus Cave, one of the oldest chambers at roughly 20 metres below street level. Local historian Alberto Recanatini has spent over 50 years mapping the tunnels and documenting their history.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 10, Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, Peter Fornetti, and Corjan Mol toured the Camerano Caves with Emiliano Sacchetti and Alberto Recanatini. Emiliano explained that the cave entrance was modeled after the Holy Sepulchre and dates to the 13th century, and Alberto noted that after the Templars were dissolved, surviving members dug underground places to gather in secret.
In the Burchiani Cave, the team discovered that a section of the cave system matches the shape of the lead cross found on Oak Island at Smith's Cove in 2017. Corjan Mol also identified a goose-paw symbol like one previously observed in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. The recurring appearance of matching symbols in Templar sites across Italy, alongside the lead cross shape correspondence, added to the pattern of connections between medieval European Templar strongholds and artifacts recovered from Oak Island.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 10 by Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, Peter Fornetti, and Corjan Mol, guided by Emiliano Sacchetti and Alberto Recanatini (50+ years mapping the system) with guide Marco Deseriis in the Venus Cave. The team documented the lead cross shape match and a goose-paw symbol matching Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
