To get to Pantalica we first took a bus to Sortino, then walked a a few kilometers to the entrance to the Nature Reserve.
Once in the reserve, one can walk the North Trail through the necropolis or the South Trail along the Anapo River. We headed out first on the higher North Trail then descended to the South Trail to make our way back to Sortino.
On the far rock face there are many Bronze Age burials, all robbed, leaving holes or caves.
Descending to the Anapo River.
Once down at the river, we proceded along a very scenic road, the remnants of a railroad dismantled in 1956.
Can you spot Sun-Ling in this photo?
Once out of the Nature Reserve we walked for several kilometers along terraced orange groves.
And then back to Sortino on the red-white trail.
Bonus: we wandered by an old cinema in Sortino.
And returning to Siracusa, we easily polish off this Maxi pizza from PizzaPop.
She is in the upper right quadrant. The pizza looked yummy
ReplyDeleteYou guys are so energetic! Glad to see that Sun-Ling has recovered from her falls, even if the nexus hasn't.
ReplyDeleteI love verdant gorges, so Pantalica was not to be missed. If I had been 100%, we probably would have walked more and caught a later bus back. We have also changed strategies to move bases less often, day-trip instead, and stay closer to stations.
ReplyDeleteSpotted S-L camouflaged in the rock face on the R side of photo. What did the burial caves hold worth looting?
ReplyDeleteSorry that Sun-Ling is still sub-par. But Ortygia is a great place for chilling out in a cafe. With wonderful Sicilian cannoli....
ReplyDelete@Crash - The sarcophagi can be quite ornate and prized by collectors. Not to mention articles placed in the tomb to be used by the deceased in the afterlife. Again, prized by collectors thus a source of income for looters. A blurb in the Siracusa Museum said that the last intact grave in the area was found in the 1870's. And there may have been looting/desecration by opposing religious groups.
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