Cava d’Ispica Ispica Canyon with Assoc. Kalura and Assoc. Siquillyah

July 12, 2012

Recently, I spent a weekend at a local canyon, Cava d’Ispica , at the refuge owned by the Kalura Hiking Association. This association is a member of the Siquillyah Association, founded in 2008, with the purpose of creating a network of solidarity economy.

Siquillyah has been working to create a network amongst its members. It has been the force behind the creation of local produce purchasing groups (GAS),working hard to encourage consumers to buy local produce. Over the last few years, Siquillyah has sponsored events to promote solidarity among its members, members that include organic farmers, agri-tourisms, bed and breakfast facilities, and other entities, such as the hiking association Kalura. There have been courses to promote practices in the agricultural arena based upon traditional natural farming, and one example are the courses on permaculture.

As I learn more about the members of the Siquillyah Assocation in Sicily and have the opportunity to visit their facilities, I will share my knowledge on this blog and call them “Siquillyahni”.

The visit to one of Cava d’Ispica’s corners was indeed an opportunity to bring some Siquillyahni together to discuss cooperation in the field of sustainable tourism. The group stayed at the refuge which is nestled in the canyon along one of the sides of a high rocky wall. Just below the refuge the land formed terraces and by walking down from the last one through some plush vegetation one would end up at a natural spring enclosed by a cave. Swimming in the spring was invigorating as the chilly water was a relief from the heat.

Cava d’Ispica is a canyon which runs for 13 kilometers between the towns of Modica and Ispica. Its cliff dwellings were inhabited by humans as far back as the Neolithic Age, commonly considered the last part of the Stone Age. I visited just one small section of the canyon hiking a loop created by the Kalura association departing from the refuge, walking over to a rocky wall across from the refuge and returning to the refuge in just one hour. I asked the guide, Nanni di Falco, how long a group would take to hike the entire canyon and learned it is approximately a 5-6 hour hike.

Following are some pictures taken around the Kalura Refuge in Cava d’Ispica.

Cars cannot reach the refuge so we parked the cars and hiked to the refuge