The Obscure Mangiapane Cave in Sicily: Prehistoric Cave and Site of Modern Feasts

Mangiapane Cave (known also in Italian as Grotta Mangiapane) is a cave that has been occupied on and off since prehistoric times. In addition to being a prehistoric site, Mangiapane Cave is also well-known for being the location of a village that is reported to have been left untouched for the last 70 years. It is perhaps this aspect of the small village in Mangiapane Cave (i.e. being trapped in a time capsule) that draws people to visit this otherwise obscure site in Italy.

A Prehistoric Cave

Mangiapane Cave is located in the western part of the Italian island of Sicily. This cave is situated in the commune of Custonaci in the province of Trapani. In Custonaci there are a group of nine caves known as the Scurati Caves, where evidence of Sicily’s prehistoric inhabitants has been discovered.

Mangiapane Cave is the largest in this group of caves. The opening of the cave is measured to be around 80 m (242 ft.) in height, whilst the time-locked village is found to extend about 70 m (229 ft.) into the cave.

Grotta Mangiapane. (Flick/CC BY-NC 2.0)