Europe

[Visited: September 2020]

Based in Siracusa, I explore not only Ortigia but also more places in southeast Sicily. After having seen a lot of ruins and towns, I am craving for an outdoor experience. I come across the Cava Grande del Cassibile, a short drive from Siracusa. I park my car near the trailhead halfway the canyon, at the top. It turns out the trail has been closed since 2014; there is an official sign explaining that the trail is closed because of the risk of boulders rolling down the hill. Next to the sign: a firmly closed and locked gate. Next to the gate: two crates on each side of the fence, facilitating people to be able to climb over it. After my morning explorations of Ortigia, I have arrived at the end of the morning on a Saturday, and there are plenty of people climbing the fence and hiking down into the canyon, and I follow suit. The trail is steep, switchbacks with stones and rocks dive into the depth of the canyon. On the other side. I see huge caves, which probably explains the name of the canyon. At the bottom, I see a river, and people walking next to ponds.
On my way down, I pass several people who appear to have problems going down the steep trail, and I wonder if they realise that they will have to walk up again. After half an hour, I reach the first small waterfall and pool with crystal clear, cool water. It looks very tempting, but I know there are more ponds further downstream, so I follow the trail until I reach a cluster of pools and waterfalls. The two sides of the canyon stand like enormous walls on either side of the Cava Grande del Cassibile. There are already quite a few people here. I walk past a small waterfall, on a slippery ledge, until I reach a bigger pool. The ledge stops here; I take off my shoes, hook them up to my backpack, and cross the stream just above another waterfall. I am all sweaty and hot: now is the moment to put down my stuff, take off my shirt and pants, and dive into the refreshing water. I swim to the other side, until I am under one of the waterfalls. What is better than lying belly-up in this lovely water, looking at the rocky walls rising steeply on both sides?
After I find a good spot where I can put my head on a rock, I just lie down, close my eyes, enjoy the sun burning my face, and feel it drying up my swim shorts. When I open my eyes again, more people have arrived, entire families have ignored the signboard saying it is forbidden to enter. I still want to visit a museum in Siracusa, and decide to pack my stuff and head back. I walk barefoot along the rocks on the sun side of the pools, cross the stream in almost waist-deep water, enjoying the refreshing feeling of cold water, and knowing that I will sweat it all out on my way up. It takes another half hour to hike up the steep path, and when I am back on the edge, my shirt and pants are completely soaked. I once again enjoy the views across the canyon: I can see the pools far below, it seems even more people have arrived in this officially forbidden place. I eat some of the delicious summer fruits, before heading down the curvy road back to Siracusa.

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Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Cava Grande del Cassibile (Italy). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Cava Grande del Cassibile.
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Cava Grande del Cassibile > Italy > Europe

[Visited: September 2020]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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