Reserves
Nature to experience
Riserve
The uncontaminated and wild nature is the star of an enchanting land, embraced in-between two reserves. Seven kilometres of rocky coast roll through Zingaro reserve, between coves immersed in the Mediterranean vegetation and paths traced between ancient caves. The underwater landscape is a succession of shapes and colours. Mount Cofano and Mount Monaco are ideal for trekking and for sightseeing walks or mountain bike rides, while people fond of climbing cannot miss the cliffs that frame the coast of Castelluzzo.
Zingaro Nature Oriented Reserve
Zingaro Nature reserve, the oldest in Sicily, extends for 7 kilometres between San Vito Lo Capo and Castellammare del Golfo. 40 species of birds nest among the paths that reach coves of extraordinary beauty, and where 800 species of plants can be found. Then history peeps out with the petroglyphs inside Uzzo and Isulidda caves. Nature keeps on amazing with an incomparable landscape under the surface of the sea: algae, anemones, madrepores and clouds of multicoloured fish.
Zingaro enchants for its harsh beauty, for the intense colours in every season, for the white coves set in a turquoise sea, the many dwarf palms, the rich Mediterranean vegetation, the strong olive trees and the majestic carob trees from where you can glimpse the neat shapes of peasant houses. Clear waters and hidden beaches, often reachable only by boat, make it a lost paradise for those who want to immerse themselves into silence and unspoiled nature.
Mount Cofano Nature Reserve
Magnificent, the promontory of Mount Cofano gives a charming and elegant image of itself straight away. Its profile, recognizable from the entire coast and its changing colours, at any time of the day, welcome those who decide to visit Mount Cofano Reserve. Between Trapani and San Vito Lo Capo, in the territory of Custonaci, the Reserve is surrounded by a crystalline sea, a destination for many bathers during the long Sicilian summer. Cornino’s beach is very popular, right at the foot of Mount Cofano.
Interesting are the caves inside the Reserve, important from a geological and palaeontological point of view. Here there have been found traces of settlements of the prehistoric period of great value such as fossils, weapons, flint tools, graffiti, dating back to the upper Palaeolithic. The best known is the one in Scurati: the Mangiapane cave, its name refers to the ancient family that lived there. An ancient rural agglomeration, made up of single-storey houses, a chapel and narrow cobbled streets witness the presence of man up to the early 1900s. Walking inside the Reserve you find yourself surrounded by large prairies of dwarf palms and ampelodesma that glitter under the sun rays. Its skies are crossed by many species of birds that nest on the steep sides of the mountain. Among the birds of prey: owls, buzzards and peregrine falcon.