The word latomia refers to the old stone quarries mined for the construction of public buildings; they were later used as prisons. Those that we see now were transformed by the effects of collapse and especially telluric tremors. Nonetheless, you can see that they are laid out around a sort of arc that fits the outline of a limestone terrace. Note, in particular, the Paradise Latomia, a fascinating cave that houses the Orecchio di Dionisio.