The naturalistic interest of the upper Valle dell’Anapo merges with the historical-archaeological interest of the spectacular Necropolis of Pantalica, the largest center of the late Bronze Age in Eastern Sicily. The Oriented Natural Reserve of Pantalica, Anapo Valley is one of the most evocative places in the Iblea area. The Reserve extends over a quarry crossed by the limpid and mythical waters of the Anapo and Calcinara rivers, creators of a very rich vegetation.

The view of the wonderful necropolis runs along the sheer walls where the millennial work of the Sicilians is testified by the thousands of prehistoric tombs, which later became places of Byzantine settlements. Nearby rises Sortino, before the earthquake of 1693, it stood on the coast above the Guccione River, but there are many medieval paths that connect today’s Sortino to the “Diruta” medieval city, where you can still visit: oil mills and rock mills, tanneries, troglodyte dwellings, rock churches. With the reconstruction on the hill above, the town was enriched with valuable Art Nouveau buildings and churches in Baroque style: the Basilica of S. Sofia, 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 Carmine, and offers inside a chronological path that goes from the prehistoric Pantalica, with 63 pieces coming from the archaeological excavations of the largest Sicilian Necropolis in Europe , to the medieval finds of the Sortino ruined due to the earthquake of 1693. The exhibition is completed by the ethno-anthropological collection of the Bruno family, made up of artefacts from the agro-pastoral culture, tools, tools and machines for working stone, wood and iron. The visit to a setting of the peasant house, with a stone oven, a loom and its artefacts, stimulates the senses.

The visit to the Civic Museum of the Opera dei Pupi will leave a trace in visitors who love to know the true folklore, well represented here 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 itinerary is organized by thematic areas and exhibits puppets, “wire puppets” and “rod puppets”. A small adjacent theater allows, upon reservation, to attend the live show. Among the most authentic traditions, the production of honey and pizzolo, a durum wheat focaccia stuffed with vegetables or meats, a true gastronomic delicacy appreciated throughout the region

PROGRAM ** :

9.30 am arrival in North Pantalica (Sortino side), excursion

12.45 transfer to Sortino

1.15 pm arrival in Sortino, tasting

2.30 pm visit to the Puppet Opera Museum

3.15 pm visit to the Antiquarium of the Middle Ages

4.00 pm workshop (alternating workshops: construction of a Pupo, stone carving)

18.00 end of activity

** The program may be subject to changes due to weather changes or special unforeseen needs.