The Genovese Cave

The Discovery of the Genovese Cave

On the island of Levanzo, one of the smallest in the Egadi archipelago, overlooking a small quarry and surrounded by the Mediterranean scrub, is the Genovese Cave, a beautiful reality of very small karst formation but with suggestive beauty. The main characteristic of the cave is represented by the immense artistic heritage enclosed between its walls, a discovery made in 1949 by a Florentine painter on vacation in the area.

The curiosity of the artist was such as to encourage the Superintendent for the Antiquities of Sicily to carry out stratigraphic excavations and archaeological explorations, in order to better understand the great wealth of the cave. The interest in the discovery was of such high degree that excavations and explorations were also carried out in other caves on the island and in nearby Favignana.

The engravings and paintings present

The engravings inside the cave represent large animals and 4 human figures. According to the research carried out, all the graffiti date back to the period of the Upper Paleolithic, the period of significant transition and climate changes due to the retreat of glaciers.

At that time, man had to adapt to the new ecosystem and adopt some important cultural changes. He transformed himself into a hunter, fisherman, and gatherer of shellfish. The paintings, mostly colored black, date back to the Neolithic era, when agriculture and livestock breeding were the most widespread activities and men were acquiring knowledge in the metallurgical field. The 14 small idols painted in the cave are well known not only by experts in the field, 6 of these depictions represent a flask or a violin and have a roundish shape with a bulging belly. The other 8 have a cylindrical shape and the upper limbs are barely hinted at. The peculiarity of the pictorial representations found in the Genovese Cave is represented by the essential style, the body is slender while the limbs are long and thin, in some subjects the body tends to increase, instead the limbs are almost invisible.

In the cave there is a single representation in red that depicts a human being with a wedge-shaped head and a more sinuous body. This painting belongs to the Paleolithic period because it is very similar to one of the engraved characters, therefore it can be supposed that this work is contemporary with the period of engravings.

The Rooms of the Cave

Thanks to karst phenomena, the cave has a very complex appearance, in fact it is composed of an entrance chamber called antegrotta from which one can access a longer internal chamber defined as retrogrotta through a narrow and low tunnel. The antegrotta still preserves the remains of a furnace used for the production of lime dating back to the Middle Ages, the retrogrotta, on the other hand, is a very fascinating area, as it is the custodian of the largest Italian heritage of prehistoric art and has long been unexplored. The islanders knew the site only as a perfect hunting spot and had never been pushed by the desire to explore it, also because, to kill their prey, that is rabbits, it was enough to introduce ferrets. The cave, of enormous historical and artistic value, is about 35 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, the antegrotta is illuminated by daylight and has an entrance of about 8 meters, a depth of 12 meters and a height of 14 meters. The Genovese Cave is located in the property of Castiglione Natale, who is the current custodian.

The great importance of the Genovese Cave

It can be confidently affirmed that, despite numerous other discoveries, the Genovese Cave is the most important because it represents the highest expression of prehistoric pictorial art. It is a great novelty for Italy, as it was thought that prehistoric cave painting belonged only to France and Spain. Currently, it is known all over the world thanks to the uniqueness of its graffiti and paintings. Everything contained within the cave can be considered a heritage of excellence to be preserved and protected. Some of the depicted figures, such as wild boars, bulls, and cows, are sacred animals to the Goddess of fertility.

Visits to the Cave

The visits to the Grotta del Genovese of Levanzo will be made only in the morning upon reservation 
Depending on the weather conditions you will reach the cave by sea or by land. For safety reasons, it will be the staff of the Cave to choose, depending on the weather, the mode of transport.
La Grotta is 4 km from the village. (about 1 hour walk). On the island of Levanzo there are no rentals of bicycles, scooters and cars.

Important! Booking is mandatory, with at least 48 hours notice. The site is open from 9.00 to 13.30. Before booking the visit and paying for it, make sure you have already booked the seats on the hydrofoil at least a couple of days before because, especially in the summer months, last-minute availability is rather rare.

Prices and info: https://www.grottadelgenovese.it/prezzi.asp