The Quarries of Tufo: the "Pirriatura" Favignanesi

For decades, man has managed to extract a truly extraordinary stone from the heart of Favignana: Calcarenite. Particularly used in architecture and construction, calcarenite is a compact porous stone but at the same time it gives white fine grain.

Commonly called "tuff", the construction of architectures, R.T.A. , houses, with this material, turned out to be one of the most ancient and peculiar activities of the islanders of Favignana.

The mining activity of the calcarenite was so intense that the island was "excavated" in such a way that it faced real cathedrals rather than quarrying quarries: the territory was modeled giving life to always different and suggestive shapes at the hands of expert "artists" extractors of tuff, the "pirriatura" (stonecutters).
... and so they gave birth to the Hypogean Gardens of Favignana

The disused quarries in the hinterland of Favignana were used by the islanders in an original and intelligent way: they were transformed into vegetable gardens and gardens. In fact, during your stay on the island, between Cala Rossa, Bue Marino, Punta Fanfalo and Lido Burrone, you will notice at the edges of the roads the tuff quarries inside which lush plants grow.

Thanks to the mild climate in winter and warm in summer, thanks to the protection with very high walls, thanks to the sunny position, the islanders managed to make the most of a habitat suitable for vegetative development thus recreating a "natural greenhouse", which allowed to have a warm climate in winter and cool in summer.

Inside the Ipogei gardens, you can admire many vegetables but above all splendid fruit trees such as fig, almond, pear, orange and prickly pear.