Page 516 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

twenty minutes west of the port, you’ll come to a rocky spire sticking out of the sea –

the Faraglione – beyond which a rocky path leads north up the coast. This becomes a
stone and dirt track once it reaches the upper part of the valley. If you stick to it, it
takes around an hour to reach the lighthouse at Capo Grosso at the northeastern point
of the island.

On your way to the cape, you can swim at the lovely white Tramontana bay: just

before you reach an old metal gate, a track leads down the red-earth mountainside,
ending in an acute concrete slope, which you can just about slither down, though
scrambling back up is hard work. Tracing the coast eastwards from Lévanzo Town,
you can reach Cala Minnola in about fifteen minutes – a lovely rocky cove ideal for
swimming.

Grotta del Genovese

On the island’s northwest coast, on a slope overlooking the sea, the Grotta del
Genovese is the main attraction for most visitors. The cave walls display some
remarkable Paleolithic incized drawings, discovered in 1949, as well as later
Neolithic pictures; they’re mostly of animals, and are between six thousand and ten
thousand years old. Despite their age, the evocative drawings retain their impact,

drawn by prehistoric man in an attempt to harness and influence the power of nature:
one lovely picture of a deer near the entrance dates from when the island was still
connected to the Sicilian mainland. The later Neolithic sketches are easy to pick out
too; less well drawn, more stylized representations of men and even of tuna fish and a
dolphin.

GETTING TO THE GROTTA DEL GENOVESE

All visits to the Grotta del Genovese ( grottadelgenovese.it) have to be arranged
at least a day in advance through the official custodian, Signor Natale Castiglione:
either telephone 0923 924 032 or 339 741 8800, or pass by at Via Calvario 11,

above the quay. Tickets cost €22.50 each, either by jeep or by boat. By boat, the
round-trip will take nearly two hours, usually departing at 10.30am and (if there’s
enough demand) 3pm. Note that the smallest swell may be enough to make it
impossible for the boat to pull into the narrow rocky disembarkation point. You can
also extend the tour by opting for the round-island trip (€5 supplement), taking up to

three hours including a swimming stop.

By jeep, the two-hour round trip is roughly 10km, following an inland route
through the valley in the centre of the island. The fairly difficult descent on foot to
the grotto from where the jeep stops is not recommended for anyone infirm. You
might negotiate a discount jeep fare if you feel like walking back. Booking for either