Most likely a pre-existing space, dating back to the ancient Basilian Monastery of San Pancrazio, the ancient kitchens owe their current appearance to the work carried out by Count Paolo Ruffo in 1543.
It is a rectangular room located below the current floor level, with two windows openings to the outward, the first much larger than the one below.
There are openings in the floor that allowed access to water from the ancient cistern below, where rainwater was channeled through a system of channels. In the past, these spaces formed the basement of the Palazzo del Principe di Scilla (the Ruffo family's residence).
After the Ruffo family left the fiefdom, the upper spaces belonging to the ancient palace were used as soldiers' quarters during the French occupation (1806-1814).
The 1908 earthquake damaged these structures, which were then completely demolished following the construction of the lighthouse because they obstructed its beam of light.
The room was brought to light and restored during excavations carried out in the mid-1980s.
Dott. Rocco Panuccio
