Contrada Concerie [Tannery District]: another nice strip of the coast in the municipality of Pachino (Siracusa).
PJ (Margherita Montoneri)
This is one of those places that I could discover only because of the stubbornness of my mother. I remember the skepticism of our relatives and their surprise at seeing the pics of my father.
Moral of this history: Contrada Concerie [Tannery District] became one of our favorite places, and, in the maternal foresight, it's still considered one of the most spectacular stretches of the Pachino coast.
Here too the history intertwines with the natural beauty in a difficult bond to be dissolved: if you are lucky and if you have good power of observation you could be able to locate, under the clay and the beached Posidonia, the ancient thanks for the skin tanning, that was processed by a method coming from the Cretan and Phoenician culture.
And then the high rocky coast, the color of the sandstone on which the waves break up, the natural caves, the sound of water under your feet, the breathtaking views overlooking the sea, will not leave anyone indifferent.
Swimming in that natural caves seemed to us kids an awesome challenge: the high rocks inside them, scattered with sea-urchins, made us execute delicate maneuvers to avoid to be stung. Anyway, the crystal clear water the play of light on the walls largely repaid us for the "risk". There was a great satisfaction for me, as I've never been a good swimmer.
1) Natural caves
2) The Caves at sunset
3) In memory of the Canadian soldiers PJ (Margherita Montoneri)
It seems almost impossible that in this scenery of surprising beauty there was one of the most dramatic pages of our history: On 9 July 1943, the Canadian troops landed in this strip of coast with orders to take over the airport of Pachino (! ). Until some years ago, there were some signs in remembrance of the young Canadian soldiers who had died, but the last time I went there, they were no longer there, as well as the path leading from this stretch of coast to Punta delle Formiche [Ant Cape, n.d.t.], in the oriented natural reserve of Pantani. This bizarre name [Ant Cape] seems to come from the particular arrangement of the rocks, that look like a line of ants moving towards the sea. In Punta delle Formiche [Ant Cape] you can find also fine sandy beaches, which alternate with caves and sea cliffs. At now you can get to Punta delle Formiche by car from Portopalo di Capo Passero.
Andrea dell'Agnese
I don't know if because of some unauthorized buildings, or some whatever reason, tha access to the path is closed, or even disappeared unless you don't climb over some fence or some wall. Anyway, this small strip of coast worths a visit, especially at sunset, when the sun rays light up the cliffs with a particular, breathtaking light: at that time the rock walls look like gilt bronze, as for some strange alchemical phenomenon, and the sky is like an iridescent blanket, that changes its color up to become a black, full of stars, veil.
Contrada Concerie is in the Municipality of Pachino, in the province of Siracusa.
It's a strip of coast ideal for those who climb in the spots of Siracusa and Ragusa.
You can get there by the SS 8 road from Pachino or from Portopalo di Capo Passero, exiting at Puntorio.
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