Monte Pavone and Necropolis of Siculi
Monte Pavone is a wooded naturalistic area located on the mountain relief in the Maiorana district.
Near the forest stands an archaeological site dating back to the Neolithic of great interest, studied by the archaeologist Luigi Bernabò Brera, consisting of a residential settlement and rocky necropolis. Of particular interest is Grotta Masella, a large natural cavity, used for burial purposes in which objects in terracotta and bone were found.
In the Costa dell'Oro district, on the southern slope of Monte S. Nicolò, there are instead 3 artificial rooms communicating with each other, which look at the hill on which the Greek Akrai stood, from which they were separated by the valley of the Anapo river. These caves, explored for the first time by the archaeologist Paolo Orsi, preserved clay and metal material dating back to different eras, from the 3rd century. B.C. to VI AD. Numerous niches and several epigraphs were also found in these caves, which allowed the cave to be identified as a place of worship. The three rooms, built by the hand of the Greeks and frequented as a sacred place until the first century. A.D., they were actually part of a much older cult. In fact, the votive inscriptions show that Anna and the Paides, divinities of Sicilian origin, were venerated there.
Virtually nothing remains of this interesting site today: landslides and moisture damage have completely destroyed the complex. However, the deciphered inscriptions are exhibited at the Paolo Orsi Museum in Syracuse.
