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Santo Pietro forest (Natural Reserve)

A naturalistic day in the lovely village of Santo Pietro

Santo Pietro forest (Natural Reserve)

Path in the forest
Path in the forest
Sicilian picnic
Sicilian picnic
Santo Pietro forest
Santo Pietro forest
The Sorgente del Cacciatore (Hunting well): refreshment pit-stop
The Sorgente del Cacciatore (Hunting well): refreshment pit-stop
Cork Oak (Quercus suber)
Cork Oak (Quercus suber)
santo-pietro-sicily
santo-pietro-sicily
martin-pescatore
martin-pescatore
The red color of the cork oaks (photo esplorasicilia.com)
The red color of the cork oaks (photo esplorasicilia.com)
The church in the half abandoned hamlet
The church in the half abandoned hamlet
The square of Santo Pietro
The square of Santo Pietro
The hamlet and the forest

santo-pietro-sicily

 

 

 

From the 19th century romantic town of Santo Pietro (that has fascist architecture from the early 1900s), kind of a ghost town now, comes the name of this forest from ancient memory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was, in fact, a gift from the Norman King Ruggero to the city of Caltagirone for their help in defeating the Saracens (1160).


The extent of it, together with the neighboring Cork of Niscemi, was 30,000 acres compared to the increasingly vast actual 2,500. From a geological point of view, the terrain is full of fossils dating to 1.8 million years ago (Lower Pleistocene), with many shells.

 

 

 

Cork Oak (Quercus suber)

 

The major characteristic of this forest is the presence of very old and monumental cork oaks (Quercus suber), tress that are in their fifties, with a circumference of more than 1.3 meters. And if you find yourself in the forest, do not miss the one near Molara that approaches about 6.2 meters in circumference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The area is rich in water sources that make for small natural waterfalls and some artificial fountains. (Cacciathours, Molare e Ficuzza).
There are also some mills around here, such as Poli, Ramione and Archi, which testify to the past presence of man in the territory.

 

 

 

 

martin-pescatore

 

 

Along the stream that feeds the reserve, we find poplars and willow trees, an ideal refuge for herons, egrets and kingfishers (photo).

Worth a visit, in the town of Santo Pietro, is the delicious museum of Mediterranean scrub.

 

 

 

 

 

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Visit this site with our guide or ask more info to our Cultural Department info@splendidsicily.com

 

 

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