Excursion nr. 9 – Pantalica and Anapo Valley
Pantalica Reserve is a naturalistic – landscape and archaeological pearl, declared as Unesco World Heritage site.
The whole rock in the area appears perforated by hundreds of openings, so much so that it looks like a huge beehive and, by a strange coincidence, the Sicels, inhabitants of Pantalica, were called the ‘people of bees’. Pantalica plays a very important role in the study of the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The openings are necropolises, and on the site there are 5 necropolises for a total of 5,000 tombs, built in different periods, over about 600 years. Other natural openings that we come across are the karst caves, some of considerable size such as the Grotta dei Pipistrelli, inhabited by this protected fauna.
The Anapo river and its tributary the Calcinara flow along its gorges, thanks to its impervious walls and the availability of water, this reserve is an oasis of biodiversity for both flora and fauna. Here the oriental plane tree and macrostigma trout are protected.
The excursion includes several Tours which can be adapted to hikers:
1.A ring tour offers access from Ferla (SR), with a breathtaking view from the plateau, immersed in the Mediterranean scrub, from which to observe the Anapo Valley. Along the trail, we will meet the Necropolis of Filiporto, the rock village, the church of San Micidario, the oratory of San Nicolicchio, the Anaktoron or the Palazzo del Principe.
| Tour length: | approximately 3.30 km. |
| Elevation gain : | about 130 m. |
| Tour duration: | 1 hour 40 minutes about. |
| Difficulty level: | Medium. |
| Recommended for | children over 10 years old and under close supervision. |
2.Another trail always from Ferla (SR) will take us through a staircase carved into the rock to the Calcinara torrent, before the descent we will be able to admire a little rupestrian church and a magnificent view of the Grotta dei Pipistrelli from the belvedere, down in the valley we will walk under an immense rocky shelter that will make us go back in time imagining the men gathered around the fire.
| Tour length: | about 3 km. |
| Elevation gain: | 100 m. about. |
| Tour duration: | 1h 20 min. about. |
| Difficulty level: | Medium. |
| Recommended for | Children over 10 years and under close supervision. |
Excursions nr. 1 and nr. 2 can be done on the same day.
3.The route with access from Sortino (SR) retraces the bottom of the Anapo Valley, rich in water, plants and birds. Here you will cross several tunnels belonging to a former railway line opened in 1915 that crossed the valley until 1956. From here we will arrive at the former station of Necropoli Pantalica.
| Tour length: | about 6 km |
| Elevation gain: | about 130 m. |
| Tour duration: | 2 hours and 10 minutes about. |
| Difficulty level: | Easy for EVERYONE. |
INFO NOTES:
It is forbidden to introduce dogs on the paths of the Pantalica and Anapo Valley Reserve, even if on a leash.
Read Booking Info and Excursion Regulations
