Path 1: Grotta del Genovese
Leaving the town centre to the left of the port, continue uphill along a paved road that leads to Pizzo Monaco. After a few hundred meters you reach a wide valley, divided into small fields bordered by a network of dry stone walls, until a few decades ago cultivated with vines.
To the east, the Case Florio and the Torre Saracena delimit the landscape; the largely unpaved path becomes, once passed the valley, well paved following recent restoration works. Reached the "Forest Refuge", in stone, next to the pine forest of the State Property, the path divides: on the left, proceed, slightly uphill, towards the Grotta del Genovese. To the east you can see the silhouette of the fortress of Erice and Mount Cofano; to the left of the path, the Pizzo del Monaco, on which you can climb following a short but steep path that starts from the roadside. After passing the pine forest of Pino d'Aleppo, the path, well arranged with a fence, begins to descend along the ridge to the cave, hidden at the bottom left. The vegetation, sparse, is that typical of the island, with large patches of mastic surrounded by Euforbia dendroides, cistus, senecio.
The cave takes the name of the district and the Cala overlooking. The front cavity (antegrotta), quite wide, is 4 m high and 12 m deep. The internal cave, with the graffiti and the prehistoric drawings is 35 m long and can be reached through a tunnel about 60 cm high and 3 m long. To visit it you need to contact the custodian. It is a particularly enjoyable route in spring and at the end of summer, preferably in the early hours of the day. La Cala is close to the winds of S. SE and SW.
Typical vegetation: Aleppo pine, Euforbia dendroides, mastic, prickly pear. caper, thyme, Erica arborea, oleastro, terebinto.
| Route: | Pedestrian, Bike |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Distance: | 3,4 km |
| Time: | 80 min |
| Altitude difference: | 150 m |