GROTTA MANGIAPANE

ETERNAL OPEN DOOR TO OUR PAST

Grotta Mangiapane is a representation of marvelous combination of history and nature, managed and carefully maintained by Custonaci Living Museum Cultural Association. Every year thousands of visitors from Italy and all over the world come here to encounter the beauty of the past, traditions, smells and sounds that distinguish this enchanting part of Sicily.

A lot of events with a strong cultural impact, such as the traditional Living Nativity of Custonaci, literary meetings and musical performances are held in the Grotta. Film sets and even haute couture shoots are often organized here as well (the famous brand Dolce & Gabbana made the Grotta a spectacular backdrop for its Fall/Winter 20/21 campaign).

THE VILLAGE

TIMELESS BEAUTY

LIVING NATIVITY

DURING THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD THE CAVE WELCOMES THE REPRESENTATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS

HOUSE OF THE TIME

A particular cavity in the rock that gave shelter to people within various historical periods.

In the area of Scurati (a district belonging to the commune of Custonaci), there is a small Sicilian village that rises inside Grotta Mangiapane, named after the family, that lived there in 1819.

Grotta Mangiapane, one of the largest in Sicily, has witnessed man and his activities since the Upper Paleolithic.  This is evidenced by numerous finds recovered by scholars and researchers, including those of the well-known paleontologist and geologist, as well as the director of the museum of human paleontology of the University of Paris, Raymond Vaufrey.

The Grotta (also known as Grotta degli Uffizi) was abandoned at the end of the Second World War. Some years later, a small community of young people from Custonaci, helped by the local priest Don Rosario Vanella, decided to bring it back to life, promoting activities that have served to make the cave a place of cultural attraction for visitors.

Today it has become an open-air museum, a place for meeting and discussion and therefore the site for important and unique events such as the traditional Living Nativity of Custonaci.

ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE MUSEO VIVENTE

EVENTS

"There is no sturdy tree on the Earth that doesn't have roots. Anything that doesn't keep them strong and vigorous is bound to collapse. Thus man, who forgets and tramples on his past, takes breath away from his tomorrow".

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