Ciane river
We are in Syracuse, the town of Archimedes!
This is a natural reserve with not only great historical importance (having been the navigable river in the time of the Greeks) but that has within it a lush papyrus vegetation (in the photo) the only area in Sicily, together with Fiume di Fiumefreddo. It is a paradise for lovers of canoeing and, needless to say, for thousands of birds.
In a half day “green” walk, among reeds and papyrus up to 4 meters high, with romantic wooden bridges that allow passage from one bank to another, you can visit this natural area.
The Ciane leads, after a distance of 8 kilometers, to the Porto Grande (great harbour) of Siracusa, at one time (5th century BC), the most important in the Mediterranean. The most important aspect of flora in the reserve is, of course, the presence of papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.ssp.siculus), a plant typical of north-Africa, rather rare in Europe. It has an erect stalk, typically triangular in shape, with the bottom part submerged. It is from 3 to 6 meters high, and at the top has an umbrella-like blossom with long little branches and soft, spiky flowers at the end.
The fauna is clearly dominated by migratory birds: the grey heron, egret, black-winged stilt, water rail, coot flamingo (photo), the cormorant and others