Pantalica

Two rivers cut deep limestone gorges here, and into their walls people carved just under four thousand chamber tombs, by the latest count, over six centuries from about 1250 BC, producing a cliff face pocked with openings on every level. The site is associated with the Sicel population before Greek colonisation, and a structure on the plateau called the Anaktoron may have been a chief's building. Later, Byzantine communities reused tombs as dwellings and cut small rock chapels. UNESCO listed Pantalica with Syracuse in 2005. Paths descend into the gorge to river pools, and the canyon holds its own vegetation and birdlife.

Background

The cemeteries wrap around a large promontory where the Calcinara joins the Anapo, about 23 kilometres northwest of Syracuse. Older counts gave over 5,000 tombs, but the most recent estimate is just under 4,000, spread across five cemeteries, of which Filiporto alone has almost 1000. The settlement flourished from about 1250 to 650 BC, and some archaeologists link it with Hybla, named after a Sicel king Hyblon recorded by Thucydides. Material from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC shows later use, and three small rock-cut chapels keep faint traces of frescoes. Paolo Orsi excavated mainly between 1895 and 1910, after most tombs had been looted. A railway along the valley floor, dismantled in 1956, now serves as a path.

Source: Wikipedia, "Necropolis of Pantalica"

Highlights

• The tomb faces - thousands of chamber openings cut into gorge walls.
• The Anaktoron - a stone structure on the plateau above.
• The Byzantine reuse - tombs turned into dwellings and rock chapels.
• The river pools - swimming spots on the gorge floor.

When to go

April to June and September to October; summer in the gorge is very hot. Paths down are steep and long. Access roads from Sortino and Ferla reach different sections.

Practical notes

There are no facilities, signage is thin and the descents are steep with a hard climb back. Tombs are viewed from paths and mostly empty. Bring water.

Nearby

Syracuse lies southeast; the Iblei hills surround it.

Key facts