Pantalica Necropolis

The Necropoli di Pantalica is one of the most remarkable and least-visited ancient sites in Sicily, a vast prehistoric burial ground spread across a remote limestone plateau and gorge inland from Syracuse, near Sortino and Ferla in the Syracuse province. More than 5,000 tombs, cut as small chambers directly into the sheer rock faces of the gorge, honeycomb the cliffs above the Anapo and Calcinara rivers; they date mainly from the Bronze and Iron Ages, roughly the 13th to 7th centuries BC, when the local people retreated inland from the coast and made this naturally defended plateau their stronghold. UNESCO lists Pantalica together with Syracuse for its outstanding testimony to Mediterranean prehistory. Beyond the cliff tombs, the plateau holds the foundations of the so-called Anaktoron, a princely palace, and later Byzantine rock-cut chapels and village dwellings reused over the centuries. The setting is the real magic: a deep green river gorge of wild beauty, with hiking trails descending through Mediterranean woodland to natural rock pools where, in summer, walkers can swim. There are several entrances, principally from the Sortino and Ferla sides, and exploring the gorge involves real walking on steep, rough, and sometimes unshaded trails; a half day is realistic, and the full traverse of the gorge is a serious hike. There are no facilities within the reserve, so visitors carry their own water and food and wear proper footwear. The site is loveliest and coolest in spring and autumn, and in the early morning, in this wild interior of south-eastern Sicily.