Cava d'Ispica

photography — Cava d´Ispica, Sicilia, Italy. Public Domain.

The Cava d'Ispica is a 12 km long gorge between the cities of Modica and Ispica with thousands of small caves in the walls. The local dialect is somewhat different from normal Italian, while cava is elsewhere used for cellar, wine restaurant, and even quarry, here in Sicily it is a term for the numerous deep ravines which cut through the karstified limestone plateaus. So it is best translated Valley of Ispica. Those spectacular gorges are located in the southern part of the island where rivers cut deep into the limestone rocks on their way to the sea. They created natural caves which were used since the Greek colonizations, used during Roman times and massively extended during the Middle Ages. The caves are sometimes said to be natural, but they are actually mostly artificial. They were used for habitation and as catacombs. The earliest human remains in the natural caves are from the Neolithic era.

The caves which were used for habitation are called Spaccaforno in Sicilian. The locals lived in the caves until 1693, when a heavy earthquake destroyed many cave houses and forced the inhabitants to leave. However, some people still lived in cave houses until 1935. During the last years, with EU funding, the valley was completely renovated. The caves were cleaned, walls re-erected, paths, stairs and viewpoints constructed.

Today there are numerous sites, natural and artificial caves, cave churches, and catacombs, which are freely accessible. Some, especially the cave churches with wall paintings, are gated for their protection. Two areas, at the lower and upper end of the gorge are archaeological parks with open hours and a small fee. And the Cavallo d'Ispica is a unique underground water mill, which is privately owned and contains a museum and a shop which sells flour from the mill and souvenirs.