If you love adventures and nature and you are only a few kilometres away from Cefalù, don’t forget to stop by the beautiful Grotta Grattara Park, near the small town of Gratteri. Due to its peculiar and mystical beauty, Grotta Grattara has always been an inspiration for ancient fairy tales and myths, such as that of the “Befana”, which we will tell you more about below.
Placed about 300 metres from the village of Gratteri, at the very end of the slopes called Pizzo di Pilo, at over 1000 metres of altitude, is the cave known as ‘Grattara’, from which the town would probably take its name.
In fact, the cave of Grotta Grattara is deeply interwined with the history and folklore of the small town near which is located. According to local legend, the cave is said to be the home of an old witch known as the “Vecchia Strina”, who on new year’s Eve would come down the chimneys into the houses of Gratteri’s residents and fill the children’s stockings with presents as a surprise. This old and intriguing tale continues to amaze and the local population even today.
Besides the many tales connected to the cave, Grotta Grattara boasts a great naturalistic value: it is a refuge for numerous animal species, both wild and domisticated. On its high and jagged walls nest thousands of swallows and during winter flocks of sheep like to graze in the area.
The cave can be accessed from the San Nicola plain, through a sinuous but feasible path that goes through a lush pine forest up to a small boulder locally denominated as ‘lazzu di vuoi’ (oxen’s bed). From there, after a final short path, you arrive to the cave. From then, you can reach to the very end of Pizzo di Pilo slope and get to enjoy and astounding lanscape from an altitude of over 1000 metres.
Do you want to get the most out of the experience? Then we suggest you to take part in an exciting guided esxcursion to Grotta Grattara with a local guide!
For more info or to book a guided excursion, go to www.visitgratteri.com.
