Caucana Archaeological Park
The Caucana Archaeological Park near Santa Croce Camerina preserves the ruins of a late Roman and Byzantine coastal settlement on Sicily’s southern shore. Known in antiquity as Kaukana, the site gained strategic importance as a port and military staging ground — Byzantine general Belisarius anchored his fleet here in AD 533 before launching his campaign against the Vandals in North Africa. Today the park displays the remains of a commercial dock, a three-naved cemetery church, and domestic structures spanning the late Roman through early medieval periods.
At a glance
- Type
- Archaeological park — late Roman and Byzantine coastal settlement
- Period
- Greek period foundations; principal occupation late Roman–Byzantine, 4th–9th century AD; destroyed c. AD 827
- Style
- Late antique and early Byzantine provincial architecture
- Location
- Near Punta Secca, Santa Croce Camerina, Province of Ragusa, Sicily
- Coordinates
- 36.7886° N, 14.5075° E
Overview
Kaukana developed from small Greek-period settlements in a fertile, well-watered coastal zone and grew into a significant late Roman harbour town. Following the Roman destruction of nearby Kamarina in 258 BC, refugees settled at Kaukana, gradually transforming it into a functioning port. The site reached its greatest importance in the Byzantine period as a naval staging base before being destroyed by Saracen forces around AD 827.
History
The territory around Kaukana was occupied from the early Greek period, attracted by its fertile land and coastal access. After the fall of Kamarina, the settlement expanded to accommodate displaced populations. Byzantine control brought renewed strategic investment: in AD 533, Belisarius used the harbour to provision and coordinate his fleet before the Vandalic War campaign. The settlement was finally razed during the Arab conquest of Sicily, ending over a millennium of continuous occupation.
What you see
The archaeological park’s most striking feature is the remains of a commercial dock of late Roman and Byzantine date, showing the harbour infrastructure that made Kaukana valuable to traders and military commanders alike. Excavations have uncovered a three-naved cemetery church with in situ tombs, as well as domestic structures ranging from simple two-room houses to larger multi-room buildings. Artefacts recovered from the site, including pottery and personal objects, are displayed in the Museo Archeologico Ibleo in Ragusa.
Cultural significance
Caucana occupies a distinctive place in Mediterranean history as a documented waypoint in Belisarius’s reconquest of the West — one of the few Sicilian sites directly linked to a major event in the transformation from late antiquity to the early medieval world. Its layered occupation from the Greek through Byzantine periods makes it a valuable case study in the continuity and resilience of Sicilian coastal communities.
Practical information
- Address
- Near Punta Secca, 97017 Santa Croce Camerina RG, Italy
- Hours
- Check official website for current opening times
- Admission
- Check official website for current ticket prices
Getting there
The park is located near the hamlet of Punta Secca on the southern Sicilian coast, within the municipality of Santa Croce Camerina. From Ragusa, take the SP68 toward the coast; from Vittoria, follow signs toward Santa Croce Camerina and then Punta Secca. The area is also accessible by seasonal coastal buses. A car provides the most convenient access to the park entrance.