Gorge-ous hiking, v.82.4-kinda-HOT
Sunday, 15 May 2011
We hiked down into this limestone gorge of the Anapo River, and walked this old RR grade up and down, including going through the old RR tunnels (very cool—really!). The walls of the gorge are pocked with burial chambers dating back to the Late Bronze Age, we’re told. The archaeo-zone is called Pantalica (and here in WikiPee). We we through the town of Ferla both going and coming, and my impression is it’s in gentile decline—buildings still maintained, or not junked, but a lot of emptiness—or is it because it’s Sunday?
We saw several Italian families picnicking in the gorge, with kids and more enjoying the water (despite the many no-bathing signs). We encountered several groups of German tourists, and some groups of young (probably local) guys, and one troup of scouts (both male and female), but I didn’t notice any other Americans.
Hiking this gorge made us happy we skipped the more famous Gole L’Alcantara over near Taormina (too touristy).