Archeotrekking in Cefalà Diana – The thermal baths, late antique tombs and the medieval castle

The famous baths, recently restored, are not the only historical attraction in the area, which is dotted with important archaeological evidence, including a Late Antique rock necropolis and a beautiful medieval castle.

Gather at La Delizia pastry shop in Bolognetta, to start the day with sweetness and energy (Via Vittorio Emanuele, 38, Bolognetta. Link: https://g.co/kgs/NHRhz58)

After leaving your cars near the parking lot of the medieval castle of Cefalà Diana, you will go up to the fortress and take a guided tour of the castle, whose phases of life correspond to those of the spa but continue until at least the 16th century.

We will take the cars back and move to the Baths complex telling about the new excavations and reconstructions of the site that exploited hot waters due to geothermal heating of the subsoil. They are not in fact sulfurous waters but have the same nature as those of Segesta, Montevago or Sclafani Bagni. We will hear an account of the various phases of the monument that spanned the Norman age and is an outstanding example of the heating system in the medieval age.

From there, after a walk of a few hundred meters through the countryside and along a river valley, one will reach an interesting evidence of the area’s past dated well before the Norman-era baths. This is a Late Antique necropolis that features both sub-divus tombs (pits dug in the sandstone) and bisome or polysome arcosols (with two or more funerary arches). It is a complex datable to the late 4th to early 6th century when the agrarian landscape was rich with villages and farms.

Tips and tricks: hiking shoes and poles (optional); recommended turns out layered clothing for possibility of wind; hat, sunscreen, plenty of water, mosquito repellent.

For those who want to end on a sweet note, a must stop will be Pasticceria Delizia in Bolognetta, a renowned Sicilian artisan business that has won many national and international awards and is listed in the famous magazine Il Gambero Rosso.