Riserva Naturale Orientata Zingaro

Riserva Naturale Orientata Zingaro

Zingaro Reserve 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 610m above sea level of Pizzo Passo del Lupo to the 913 of Mt. Speziale.

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The Territory

Zingaro covers an area of 1,650 hectares, with a coastal strip of about 7 km characterized by a rocky coast formed by limestones dating back to the Mesozoic Era, intercalated by several bays and overhanging cliffs which, from a maximum height of 913m (Mt. Speziale) rapidly descend to the sea.
The geological and soil structure is represented by Quaternary calcarenite formations and above all by Mesozoic chains of calcareous-dolomitic nature. The landscape morphology is characterized by harsh and rough shapes. The soils forming the reserve are the result of the combination of human activity and nature evolution: as a matter of fact, until some time ago each area, although small, was cultivated with agricultural purposes.

Flora

In the Reserve we can find thin stretches of arboreal vegetation mainly consisting of ilex trees (on the northern slopes of Mt. Passo di Lupo and, in small nuclei, in the areas of Acci and Uzzo, on Pizzo dell'Aquila and Cala del Varo): these trees grow together with Manna Ashes, the Wild Asparagus, the Butcher's Broom, some liana-shaped plants like the Black Bryony, the Bindweed, the Wild Madder, and the Ivy; moreover, it is also possible to find the Hardy Cyclamen, the wonderful Peony, and some small ferns.

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Fauna

In the most open places, where steep slopes and heaps of stone dominate, many reptiles live: small like the gecko and the hemidactylus (they can climb on vertical walls thanks to the thin hooked lamella present under the fingers), or the ocellated skink, similar to a lizard with short legs, or the two species of lizard (Sicilian and Italian Wall Lizard).

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