Argimusco
High plateau in Sicily
The Argimusco is a high plateau situated just north of Mount Etna in Sicily, Southern Italy, between the Nebrodi and Peloritani Mountains. It is located within the boundaries of the communes of Roccella Valdemone, Tripi, and Montalbano Elicona, the latter of which was constructed on the site of the prehistoric Abaca Enum. The location provides a comprehensive view of the Aeolian Islands, the Rocca Salvatesta and Montagna di Vernà mountains, cape Tindari, cape Calavà, and cape Milazzo.
01Description
The site is located on the northern borders of the Bosco di Malabotta, over a thousand metres above sea level, with the Tyrrhenian Sea on side and the valley of the Alcantara river on the other. It includes a group of large quartz sandstone rocks, with unusual shapes, associated to animals or personas. According to local legend, the rocks are dolmens and menhir megaliths erected by a prehistoric population, although it is more likely that wind erosion created them.
Two sizable, elongated stones stand among the megaliths in Portella Cerasa, and another megalith bears an etched Sun symbol. A large boulder in front of the dolmen's remnants at Portella Zilla, further to the west, may have been a menhir that had collapsed. Around the alleged megaliths, no evidence of prehistoric human habitation, such as pottery, tools, or bones, have been discovered.
Examples of names for the stones are "Virgin in Prayer", "The Monk", "The Male Face" and "The Eagle".
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Argimusco”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Pellicano e Civetta.jpg by Graziella Milazzo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Aquila al tramonto.jpg by Graziella Milazzo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pietra di Ofiuco.jpg by Graziella Milazzo, CC BY-SA 4.0
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