Palladium-catalyzed ene-type cyclizations of 1,6-enynes 2 yield methylidene-cyclopentane derivatives 3. Removal of protecting groups from 3 furnishes the diols 4 and 5, whose configurations were established by a combination of X-ray and H-1-NMR techniques. The predominant formation of isomers 4 is discussed in the context of two alternative hypothetical mechanisms previously proposed for this type of cyclization.