Holiday apartment in Sortino: Pantalica, museums and local traditions

Sortino lies 424 metres above sea level on a rocky terrace in the eastern part of the Hyblaean Mountains plateau. Choosing a holiday apartment in Sortino means staying in a place where cultural heritage, nature, festive traditions and regional cuisine come together to suit a variety of travel interests.

Holiday apartment in Sortino between Pantalica and history

The necropolis of Pantalica, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is located in the territory of Sortino. It comprises more than 5,000 rock-cut tombs, most of which date from the 13th to the 7th century BC. The site also preserves remains from the Byzantine period, including the foundations of the Anaktoron, the so-called Prince’s Palace.

The Museo civico dell’opera dei pupi is housed in the former Franciscan monastery and preserves the puppet collection of Don Ignazio Puglisi. More than 30 puppets shown in various scenes and a distinctive puppet theatre offer an engaging insight into this unique world of the stage.

Museums and traditional craft culture

The Antiquarium del medioevo is located in the former Carmelite monastery. Its chronological tour ranges from 63 prehistoric finds from Pantalica to objects recovered during the clearance of old Sortino, which was destroyed after the 1693 earthquake. The ethnographic collection also includes objects from agro-pastoral culture, as well as tools and machines for working stone, wood and iron.

In the garden of the former Carmelite monastery, visitors can take part in educational workshops on stoneworking. The Casa dei Nonni reconstructs a traditional beekeeping workshop from Sortino with historical and anthropological accuracy and is designed as a permanent exhibition dedicated to traditional beekeeping.

Festivals and typical specialities

The Feast of Saint Sofia is celebrated in Sortino every year on 10 September. The most striking moment is the “Sciuta”, when the processional float and the relic of Saint Sofia are carried out of the Santa Sofia sanctuary. This date and festive tradition give culturally interested visitors a concrete reference point for planning their trip.

Sortino also has its own culinary specialities. Pizzolo Sortinese is a savoury local focaccia seasoned on the surface with oil and oregano, cut open through the middle and filled with various ingredients according to taste. Sortino honey is traditionally produced in the Sortino area. Its long production tradition is associated with beekeeping knowledge thought to have been introduced during the Arab occupation of Sicily.

Townscape and natural surroundings

Modern Sortino was completely rebuilt further up on Cugno del Rizzo hill. The new town was laid out on a right-angled street grid; its perpendicular main axes are now Corso Umberto I and Via Libertà. They intersect at the octagonal Piazza Quattro Canti, which remains the town centre.

The Grotta dei Pipistrelli, a karst cave, is located in the Pantalica, Valle dell’Anapo and Torrente Cava Grande Nature Reserve. Its name derives from the frequent presence of bats.

Further destinations: Lido Di Noto, Plemmirio, Fontane Bianche, Calabernardo, Lentini, Pachino, Carrozziere, Augusta

To the main travel overview: Syracuse.