Sughereta di Niscemi (Natural reserve)

At one time large cork oaks covered the internal districts of Sicily, and they had a considerable role in the local economy.

The Niscemi cork, as well as the Forest of Saint Peter of Caltagirone, is testimony to the past.

The cork is very similar to the evergreen holm oak. This Mediterranean plant can grow even in dry, arid  climate, can reach up to 15 meters in height and has quite a longevity, even centuries.

In that same regard, among the corks in the area called the Pisciotto Garden stands the “Oak Mosaic”: the most impressive example of cork oak in this part of Sicily, whose age is estimated to be 400 years.

In the cork of Niscemi lives a colored bird, the bee-eaters (photo), a migratory bird, once at the risk of extinction because of poaching.