Thursday April 18: Today we were determined to find the Grotta dei Santi. It turns out what we thought was the grotto several days ago (we even took pictures from far away), may have been “a” grotto, but it was not “the” grotto.
So now with new vigor we began our quest for the Grotta dei Santi.
With no directions in hand and google maps being useless we were pretty much on our own. But we did have a sense of wanderlust in our hearts, so we set off in search of the elusive grotto. The path was not clearly marked from the road, and our journey quickly turned into a series of hiking and climbing to the wrong caves. We walked down two long, steep paths, only to find them each leading us to the wrong destination. The air was cool but the sun was strong and beating down on us. Exhaustion threatened to take hold, barbed wire blocked our way, and doubts crept into our minds. Were we ever going get on the right track?
The damn fences and barbed wire keep getting in the way
But just when we were about to give up hope, a stroke of luck, and Sandy’s good observation, led us to the correct path. It was hidden away, almost as if the grotto itself wanted to remain a secret. Now, undeterred by the obstacles we had faced, we pressed on, our curiosity, and stubbornness driving us forward.
As we made our way through the rugged landscape, we encountered several pasture fences with makeshift gates, each one a potential barrier to our progress. With every gate we passed through, we couldn't help but wonder if we were trespassing on private property and we began to imagine what Sicilian prison life would be like. But the allure of the grotto was too strong to ignore, and we forged ahead, hoping that our efforts would be rewarded.
The path has disappeared, but it still feels right
After several hours of searching and hiking, we finally arrived at our destination: the Grotta dei Santi. Nestled amidst the rolling hills of Sicily, and tucked under an overhanging ledge, the grotto appeared before us like a hidden treasure waiting to be uncovered. Its ancient tombs and weathered stone walls spoke of centuries past. To our unimaginable delight there is a remarkable fresco adorning one of its interior walls. This is amazing to us. Here in this remote part of Sicily, Sandy and I stood by ourselves, (I doubt if there was another human being within ten miles) gazing upon this work of ancient art. This remarkable fresco is not protected in any way. It is there on the wall just like it was for those early Christians, 1,700 years ago as they worshipped here, hidden away from their persecutors.
Stepping inside the cave, the air was thick with the scent of damp earth and an embrace of ancient history. Later we both felt we were more moved by the fresco in this hidden cave than we had been by the Sistine Chapel.
In that moment, surrounded by the ancient walls of the grotto, we felt a profound connection to the past. Despite the trials and tribulations of our journey, we knew that it had all been worth it. For in the depths of the Grotta dei Santi, we had discovered something truly extraordinary – a glimpse into the soul of Sicily itself. You can’t buy that at a souvenir shop.
One of the larger rooms of the grotto
Hiking back to our car which we had left pulled over to a wide spot in the road we decided to drive over to Vizzini, another hilltop town a little bigger than our Giarratana but much smaller than Ragusa. To enhance our day of adventure, at one point during the drive, we found ourselves entirely surrounded by a small herd of cattle just walking up the road. Ah Sicily!
Once in Vizzini we found a place to park and then walked the main road towards the city center palazzo. We were there between 12:30 and 4:00PM which meant that all the shops were now closed. We walked up stairs and cobblestoned paths to a Norman fort. As forts go this was not too exciting. The fort was more a prison than a military outpost in the Norman times. The fort is now some sort of an education center whose main source of income is keeping bees, which make the honey that Vizzini is known for. But, the true joy of the fort was the interaction we had with the docent. Google translate was the intermediary in our conversation and it worked perfectly.
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