The Gurfa Caves in Alia

Western Sicily is full of places visited every year by tourists from all over the world: think of Palermo, Trapani, Favignana and Cefalù. Then inland, not far from Cefalù itself and the Sicilian capital, lies one of the most fascinating and mysterious places on the island.
It is about Caves of the Gurfa, a very ancient rock architectural complex, where history and the most ancestral legend come together, making the atmosphere of the caves magical. They are located precisely just outside the center of Alia, a village with a significant historical and artistic heritage, whose origins date back to Roman times.

Gurfa Caves: between history and legend

Some authoritative experts have dated the Gurfa Caves to the period between 2500 BC and 1600 BC, i.e. in full Bronze Age. Their extraordinary nature is that the rooms present were excavated in the red sandstone and are thought to have served as burials: in particular there is a domed chamber (tholos), widely used by the Mycenaean civilisation. There legend in fact, it is said that he was killed here Minos, the king of Crete, while pursuing the Sican Kokalos.
In later times the Romans installed their granaries here: it is no coincidence that the name of the caves is Gurfa, which derives from the Arabic ghorfa which means warehouse.
Until the mid-XNUMXth century, the caves were inhabited by the local population as they allowed them to stay warm in winter and cool in summer, while at the same time sheltering from criminals and animals.

Architecture of the Gurfa Caves

The caves include six environments, two of which are located in the lower area: the first rectangular room has a curious gabled roof while the second is circular and has a bell-shaped shape with a 16 m high ceiling, with a hole at the top to illuminate it. Every year, the day of the spring equinox, the sunlight penetrates from this crack, perfectly hitting the center of the room: according to some theories, the occurrence of this phenomenon would suggest that this circular chamber was the seat of mysterious ancestral rites.
To reach the rooms on the upper floor you have to climb an external metal staircase (the original stone one is no longer usable as there are only a few remains). Here they are four environments, all with an approximately square plan, a flat roof and windows from which you can admire the surrounding valley.

What to see in the surroundings of the Gurfa Caves

After visiting the Gurfa Caves, you can reach the nearby village of Alia and visit its beauties, starting from Shrine of Our Lady of Grace. The church dates back to the mid-600s, is in late Renaissance style and houses, inside, extraordinary gilded stucco work by Sesta. Next to the Sanctuary stands the Guccione Palace, a great example of Sicilian Art Nouveau style dating back to the XNUMXth century. The construction of the beautiful ones is owed to the same Guccione family strings, built in the Sant'Anna neighborhood to easily connect their many homes in Alia.
Finally, you cannot leave the village without having visited the Ethno-anthropological Museum, a real window into Alia's most ancient past, where life was essentially rural and poor. The museum conserves a series of tools and equipment used in the past to work grain, iron and look after livestock.

How to get to the Gurfa Caves in Alia

To reach the Gurfa Caves you need to take the A19 which connects Palermo to Catania, until the exit for Termini Imerese. Continue along the SS285, cross the villages of Caccamo and Roccapalumba, and then move on to the SS121 until you reach Alia. From the village, via the SP53, you reach the hill in the heart of which the Gurfa Caves were excavated. Remember that, although it is absolutely free to visit the caves, it is still necessary to book by calling the Alia Tourist Information Office.