Parco Delle Cave

The Park of the Marsala Quarries was born from the patient work of reclaiming some abandoned quarries after the depletion of the calcarenite sandstone, extracted in blocks known as "tufi." The restoration was carried out by private citizens who, safeguarding it from the risk of becoming a landfill, made it accessible and usable. It is a "hidden city" that develops in terraces at different levels, connected by dirt roads and tunnels. The distinctive alternation of volumes and shadows, created by the work of quarrymen, has given rise to a landscape with unique and evocative architecture, whose effect is reminiscent of a “small Grand Canyon.” The park also enjoys a particular flora, with dwarf palm, thyme, and wild asparagus, while the remaining Mediterranean scrub and rock fissures favor the nesting of protected birds, including the European bee-eater. The outcropping land in these areas protects the underlying layer of calcarenite sandstone and is called “sciara.” This term, of Arabic origin, refers to an arid and desolate landscape that, however, due to its particular flora and fauna, is recognized as a Site of Community Interest (SCI).

A large part of the territory of Marsala is made up of calcarenite sandstone (known as "calcarenite of Marsala"): a material that is easy to work with and has facilitated the extraction of blocks for building purposes. During the 1950s, in the post-war period, the trade of the “quarryman” increased greatly and became an important economic activity alongside agriculture. The quarrying activity is linked to the origins of the city itself, when the Phoenicians, in the 4th century BC, to escape the destruction of their colony on the island of Motya, (see footprint December 2024) took refuge on the mainland and built a powerful defensive wall. There are also traces that suggest the use of calcarenite dates back to even earlier times; in fact, in the 8th century BC, lithoid stones were quarried in the area of Latomie Zitelle (S.S. 1 8 at km 2) to build Motya. The greatest boost to the exploitation of the quarries, however, came later from the Romans, with their building activities. The underground quarries are located adjacent to the urban center, along a vast front that extends from Via Circonvallazione to Contrada Amabilina. These first quarries were mainly used to develop the urban center of Marsala. "Corridors" have been identified within the urban center that were probably used in the past first as quarries for the construction of historic center buildings, and later as escape routes or connections between the city's various churches (Mother Church, Church of Itriella, Sanctuary of the Madonna della Cava Cave, Church of the Madonna dell'Itria, Annunziata Complex in Piazza Carmine, etc.). Quarrying has continued to the present day, but with mechanical means that have allowed extraction to be carried out no longer in "galleries" but in "open air," using more peripheral areas of the city (as in the case of the "Park of the Quarries" area).

The wall is 25 meters high and reveals the cavers methods and obvious cuts reveal the number of blocks removed and their size. The wind which has blown against the walls has revealed various fossils that make up the structure of the land, indicating that in the quaternary age the land was submerged under the sea.
The north side of the wall doesn't receive sunligh anymore, since production has stopped at the site and it has now become the perfect habitat for «bee-eaters» (birds nesting in holes in quarry wallls), and «capers» (plants sprouted inside the wall slits).
Bee-eaters can grow to a length of 25-29 centemeters, also the tail feathers are particularly long and the wingspan can reach 49 centemeters with a weight of 50-70 grams. The Bee-eater's «bottom» plumage is brown with green on the belly and shades of yellow, blue, black and orange. Bee-eaters nest in the Mediterranean basin but winters in the south of the Sahara, preferring open environments with wild and bushy vegetation. They arrive in Sicily in early may to resume at the end of August and mainly eat bees. The nests are deep tunnels in the walls where the female lays on average 5 to 8 eggs, and both sexes incubate them for 20 days annually. If a pair finds a favorable place for nest construction, others arrive to form a new colony.

There are two different kinds of sandstone calcarenite areas, commonly called «tufa quarries»: the «ditches» and the «galleries».
Mining dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century and continued until the 1990s.
The oldest and now disused system is the Gallery's system, which created huge paths in the hypogeum, part of the industrial and archeological findings.
In the past the extraction was carried out manually with rudimentary tools such as the «mannaia» and the «manganello». The first step was the abolition of a very small portion of the rocky outcrop, called «cappellaccio», in order to reach the more malleable and valuable underlying material. The second step was the production of small blocks for building purposes.
The blocks were brought to the surface with pulleys.
Today, thanks to the help of the «tufa cutting machines», the extraction can be done by removing the whole cappellaccio through the «open processing system» (ditch quarry).
The entire area in which the Park is located is an open quarry with the exception of a parallel area by the road that links a series of hypogeal quarries. The open processing system is now prefered because the use of machines allows the complete elimination. of the cappellaccio from the surface (layer) thereby obtaining almost all the material for construction. Along the various terraces, we find totems which had been left by the cavers because these indicate poor quality materials, but today are the urban furniture of this «hidden city».Read more