Nature and Parks of Sicily

   
Land of sun and sea, history and culture, spa and volcanoes, citrus and grapes, enchanting landscape: this and more is Sicily. In an extremely varied landscape, alternating forests and volcanoes, lakes and saltpans still active, rivers and dry canyons.

There are some many nature wonders that is impossible to cover in one holiday we like to suggest some that are usually close to your chosen accommodation and that are unique to a holiday in Sicily


Zingaro Natural Reserve

This is a real paradise of nature for the great variety of natural environments characterizing its 1,600 hectares. The coast opens towards the sea with high and indented calcareous walls interrupted by inlets, rocky ravines, and caves.

The altitude of its peaks goes from the 610 m above sea level of Pizzo Passo del Lupo to the 913 of Mt. Speziale. From the sea level to the highest peaks, you can meet different kinds of ecosystems, all extremely significant.


Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie UNESCO World Geoparks Network 

The flora plays a leading role in the territory of this Park. This botanical paradise, together with its peaks reaching 1.979 meters of height, houses more than the half of the 2.600 Sicilian species and about 150 of the 200 endemic species.

It is possible to admire wonderful landscapes from several points: among them the Etna, the Nebrodi, and the Isole Eolie, which offer an unforgettable and almost unreal view at dawn and at sunset.
   

Natural Marine Reserve of the Egadi Islands

The ecological conditions and natural beauty make the seabed of the Natural Marine Reserve of the Egadi islands a paradise for divers, where they can immerse themselves from numerous point and with different levels of difficulty.


Natural reserve of Stromboli e Strombolicchio

Stromboli is a young volcano, born about 40,000 years ago. It is formed by a volcanic cone with three terminal vents which are always active.

The main crater opens under the top of the western slope, immediately under the highest peak, and within it, the magma is continuously reboiling.

The eruptive activity consists of emission of ashes and vapors and intermittent and intense explosions leading to a violent elimination of ashes, red hot stones, and pieces of reboiling lava.


Natural reserve of Vulcano

The morphology of this island is complex and tormented and can be understood by a clever interpretation of the landscape.

The first volcanic feature can be detected at a distance for the acrid sulfurous emanations from the pools of thermal mud. Immediately after, the Big Crater (also called "Fossa di Vulcano"), which is not very high (391 m above sea level), offers a "strong" view, even if at first it seems to be in front of a sleeping volcano

Trapani Salt Pans Natural Reserve

The salt pans are a very important place for thousands of migrating birds during the spring and autumn, so the area is of particular ornithological interest.

There are in fact 208 species surveyed so far, many wintering (flamingos, spatulas, white herons, egrets, marsh hawks, limicolous and more than 5,000 Anatidae) and other breeding (avocets, knights of Italy, Fraticelli, Fratini, Calandrella.

The Trapani salt pans offer an extraordinary landscape, a place to know and preserve. A true heritage.

The thirty miles of coast between Trapani and Marsala, are one of the most important and extensive wetlands of Sicily, with a climate constantly windy and sunny, a terrain made of very low depths, land and lagoon areas: conditions for the production of salt

Volcano Etna
  
The Etna volcano is the highest in Europe, is located in north-eastern Sicily, and is active from immemorial times.

With its huge top overlooking the Ionian Sea to the east, to north is bounded by the river Alcantara, the so-called "Alcantara Gorges were formed by the great volcanic eruptions that canalized in the riverbed a fluid magma which sank in the most clayey places, forming the current basaltic colonnades.

The apotheosis of these spectacular natural sculptures can be found in the quarters Larderia in the Town of Motta Camastra

Vendicari Natural Reserve

Situated on the southern-most part of Sicily’s east coast, Vendicari is a mixture of lagoons, sand dunes, rocky coastlines, and sandy beaches.

It was instituted in 1984 and is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The high salinity of the ground provides an ideal habitat for Mediterranean maquis, herbs such as thyme, rosemary and juniper bushes.

These contribute to the creation of a very unique ecosystem, which is a reference point for migratory birds that stop here in their thousands.



Download the free Guide to Sicily Nature and Parks

Guide provided by
"© Regione Sicilia - Assessorato al Turismo ed ai Beni Culturali"