From the bronze age

There are different entrances and different paths to take in order to admire the wild nature.
Inside of this area there is an ancient village dating back to the bronze age, which was funded by the population who inhabited the territory in the second millenium b.C. On the rocky walls of Pantalica there are hundreds of grooves and tombs.

The geological characeristic of the area made Pantalica a natural fortress, which developed fast between XIII and VIII century b.C. It was funded by indigenous population that probably abadoned the coast in order to escape from the conquest of new italic populations.

More than 5000 tombs and 5 different necropolis

It is the biggest necropolis in Europe. There are more than 5000 tombs caved in the rock that date back to different areas and populations. Pantalica was inhabited first by the "civiltà del castelluccio", then by the Greeks, Byzantins, and Arabs. There are a few ruins of the ancient Hybla, the first city in the reserve: the only thing left is the basement of the Anaktoron, which is the Palace of the Prince. The site was almost uninhabited during the Greek colonization, then it was inhabited again with the Byzantine population. It finally lost its importance during the Arab colonization.

The important archeologist Paolo Orsi divided the area into five parts: two necropolis in the North and North-West, which were funded between XIII-X centuries b.C., and three others, the Southern one, the one "di Filiporto" and the one "della Cavetta", dating back to the IX-VIII century b.C.
Following the Southern one, you can reach the ruins of the Byzantine village of San Micidiario and the oratory.

More information here.

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