The Gorges of Tiberio

The Tiberius Gorges Unesco Geopark Site

The Gorges of Tiberio are in the Pollina river at 80 m. above sea level between the municipalities of  San Mauro Castelverde and Castelbuono in the Madonie Park .

Historical Outlines

The name of the Gorges derives from Tiberio, a hamlet that belongs to the village of San Mauro. In the past this hamlet, of noble origins, was inhabited by about a  hundred people while today it is almost uninhabited. On the whole  the gorges are about 450 m and they can be divided into three zones.

The Route

The first part, about 100 m. , is very impressive to the eye of the visitor just arrived in the bed of the river. It  is full of caves and you can  travel along  it by foot. The central part is the most fascinating and charming. It is about 250 m. long and even more than 50 m. high and you can  cross it only by rubber dinghies  because the water depth exceeds 8 m. even in summer. In the  middle of the path there is a large rock which in the past was used as a secret passage. Finally, the last part, about 100 m. long, looks like an enchanted lake, a kind of primordial paradise.

The Geosite

The Gorges of Tiberio  constitute  a geological site of the Madonie Park (classified as G4 in the geological Guide) of geomorphological and natural relevant interest . The limestone rocks formed in the Triassic more than  200 million years ago, while the  lifting of the rocks and the subsequent formation of the Gorges occurred since the Miocene, about 23 million years ago. The geological site consists of a fluvial- karst gorge carved by the Pollina river  in the limestone rocks while  along the walls morphologies  are visible due to the fluvial flow  and the water corrosion.