Description
The Argimusco area extends over a vast plateau between 1165 and 1230 meters above sea level, just in the middle of the so-called Abacenino territory, where the harshness of the Peloritani leaves space for the sweetness of the Nebrodi Mounts.
We are in the ancient Val Demona, in the province of Messina.
Located near the medieval town of Montalbano Elicona and the Bosco di Malabotta Natural Reserve, the Argimusco Rocks are one of the most interesting rocky complexes of the southern Italy.
And it is precisely the action of atmospheric agents, mainly wind and water, which has shaped the enormous rocks, creating stones with particular anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures.
Later the man discovered this place, beginning to frequent it, to contemplate it and to use it. Among the various reasons for use, one of them soon acquired primary importance: the observation of the sky.
So the great rocks and the entire landscape were chosen to practice astronomy, to decipher the movements of the stars, coming to discover the alternation of the seasons and lay the foundations for a practical and useful calendar. This happened thousands of years ago in different places on Earth.
And it seems that this happened also to the Argimusco, a plateau where sacred rites were held, where the Earth joins the sky forming the sacred landscape par excellence.
This atavistic place became a natural astronomical observatory, and many of the stones present in it were worked for precise purposes. This naturalistic and archaeological site has been defined by many as the 'Sicilian Stonehenge', but this definition is incorrect, as there are no megaliths but natural stones, some of which are worked on.
If we wanted to make a parallel, it would therefore be more correct to speak of 'Sicilian Marcahuasi'.