Pantalica North – Sortino 2
The naturalistic interest of the upper Anapo Valley blends with the historical-archaeological interest of the spectacular Necropolis of Pantalica, the major Late Bronze Age center in eastern Sicily. The Oriented Nature Reserve of Pantalica, Anapo Valley is one of the most striking places in the Hyblaean area. The reserve stretches over a quarry furrowed by the clear, mythical waters of the Anapo and Calcinara rivers-creators of rich vegetation. The view of the marvelous necropolis skirts the sheer walls where the millennia-old work of the Siculians is evidenced by the thousands of prehistoric tombs, which later became sites of settlements Byzantines. Nearby Sortino, before the 1693 earthquake, stood on the coast above the Guccione River, but there are many medieval paths that unite today’s Sortino with the medieval town “Diruta,” in which the following can still be visited: rock mills and millstones, tanneries, troglodyte dwellings, and rock churches. With the reconstruction on the hill above, the town was enriched with fine Art Nouveau buildings and Baroque churches: the Basilica of St. Sophia, the Mother Church, a national monument, and the Church of the Monastery of Montevergini. The centuries-old history and traditions of the people are documented by museums. The Antiquarium of the Middle Ages is located in the former Convent of the Carmine, and offers inside a chronological itinerary ranging from prehistoric Pantalica, with 63 pieces from the archaeological excavations of Europe’s largest Sicilian Necropolis, to medieval finds from the Sortino diruta due to the 1693 earthquake. The exhibition is complemented by the ethnoanthropological collection of the Bruno Family, consisting of artifacts of agro-pastoral culture, tools, implements and machines for stone, wood and iron working. A visit to a farmhouse setting, with a stone oven, a loom and its artifacts, stimulates the senses.
A visit to the Civic Museum of the Puppet Opera will leave a mark on visitors who enjoy learning about true folklore, here well represented by a wonderful collection of dazzling and beautiful puppets and posters from the Don Ignazio Puglisi Collection, one of the last Sicilian puppeteers. The exhibition is arranged by thematic areas and displays marionettes, “string puppets,” and “rod puppets.” An adjacent small theater allows, by reservation, to attend the live performance. Among the most authentic traditions are the production of honey and pizzolo, a hard wheat flatbread stuffed with vegetables or meat, a true gastronomic delicacy appreciated throughout the region.
PROGRAM
h 9:30 a.m. arrival at Pantalica North (Sortino side), hike
h 12.45 transfer to Sortino
h 13.15 Arrival in Sortino, tasting
h 2:30 p.m. tour of the Puppet Opera Museum
h 15.15 visit of the Antiquarium of the Middle Ages
h.16.00 workshop (alternating workshops on: building a Pupo, stone carving)
h 18.00 end of activity
FEATURES
ITINERARY OF NATURALISTIC, ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ETHNOANTHROPOLOGICAL INTEREST
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 2/10
EQUIPMENT: HIKING OR RUNNING SHOES, HAT, WATER
COSTS
Cost per person for each Tour:
x groups of 5 to 7: 88.00€ +VAT
x groups of 8 to 15 with accompanying person: 77.00€ +IVA
x groups of 16 to 20 with accompanying person: 66.00€ +IVA
x groups of 20 and up with accompanying person: 60.50€ +IVA
