Pantalica

Two rivers cut deep limestone gorges here, and into their walls people carved somewhere around five thousand chamber tombs over five 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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.