| Sughereta di Niscemi nature reserve | |
 | |
| Area type | Oriented nature reserve |
|---|---|
| State | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Territory | Gelese |
| Surface | 2,939.37 ha |
| Foundation year | 1997 |
| Institutional website | |
Sughereta di Niscemi nature reserve is a protected area located in Sicily.
To know
Geographical notes
The Reserve rises 330 m a.s.l., in the southern part of the plateau on which the inhabited center of Niscemi is located. It is divided into zone A (reserve proper) and zone B (pre-reserve).
Flora and fauna
Flora
The symbolic plant of the reserve, the cork oak (Quercus suber), is still quite widespread, with specimens even of considerable size, and gives life, together with holm oaks (Quercus ilex) and downy oaks (Quercus pubescens), with residual strips of evergreen Mediterranean forest. In the sandy soils of the clearings of the oak grove a rare floristic entity was recently found, theHelianthemum sanguineum. It is a widespread species in Portugal, Spain, Morocco and Algeria, in the past also reported in Italy, but which for over a century had no longer been observed, so much so that, before the discovery in the territory of the reserve, which took place in 1992, it was was considered extinct in the national territory.
The prevailing vegetation is however that typical of the Mediterranean scrub with shrub species such as mastic, olive, myrtle, strawberry tree, phillyrea, dwarf palm, tree heather, spiny broom, cytisus, holly, holly dittinella, spazzaforno, gorse, cysts.
There are also 30 different species of Orchidaceae belonging to the genera Anacamptis, Himantoglossum, Limodorum, Neotinea, Ophrys, Orchis, Serapias is Spiranthes.
Finally, the wood hosts various species of mushrooms such as the black and yellow boletus, the farinaccio, the drum sticks and the champignons.
Fauna
Among the most common mammals in the territory of the reserve are the rabbit, the hedgehog, the weasel, the fox, the dormouse and the oak.
There are numerous species of nesting birds including the buzzard, the wood pigeon, the cuckoo, the jay, the barn owl and the bee-eater, the hoopoe.
Among the reptiles we remember the gongilo, the leopard snake and the common viper.
The entomofauna is also very rich, including, among others, numerous species of butterflies (Limenitis reducta, Zerynthia polyxena, Lasiocampa quercus, Gastropacha quercifolia) and beetles (Carabus famini, Cerambix velutinus).
Background
The Sughereta di Niscemi is, together with the Bosco di Santo Pietro, what remains of what was once the largest cork oak forest in central-southern Sicily.
Since 1601, a time when the territory of Niscemi it was granted as a fief to the Branciforti family, the wood began to be used for the production of timber. Already in 1718 the insane use of this resource convinced Stefania Branciforti to issue precise provisions to limit its exploitation.
In 1852 a large portion of the territory of the original cork oak was acquired by the municipal state property, and was subsequently partly assigned for cultivation to the peasants organized in the movement of the workers' Fasci.
The surviving part of the cork oak forest (about 3,000 hectares) was declared a Reserve in 1997.
In 2014, the construction of the American antennas of the MUOS was completed, right next to the cork forest, which produced many protests due to the risk of serious electromagnetic pollution problems for the cork wood. In 2016 the Administrative Justice Council for the Sicilian Region rejected the appeal of the Municipality of Niscemi regarding the blocking of the antennas.
How to get
By car
From Catania taking the 
Catania-Gela, at 23.9 km from the junction for Caltagirone, take the crossroads for Niscemi on the Ponte Olivo roundabout. After 10.3 km, near the town of Niscemi, turn right on the 
towards Victory. At 1.4 km, on the roundabout, take the left exit for 
and continue for 4.7 km.
From Enna proceed to Pergusa until you cross the SS 117 bis for Piazza Armerina. Beyond the city, continue until you cross the Catania-Gela and follow the directions as above.
From Caltagirone walk the 
for 22 km and arrived at Niscemi and after 400 meters of the railway station, turn left into Via Regione Siciliana and at the roundabout proceed in the direction of Victory along the . At 1.4 km, on the roundabout, take the left exit for and continue for 4.7 km.
From Caltanissetta on 
for Gela, exit at the Judeca crossroads, after the service station. Continue towards Gela-Niscemi for the Vigne Vanasco junction and along the Disueri you arrive at the Ponte Olivo junction. On the roundabout continue towards Niscemi. After 10.3 km, near the town of Niscemi, turn right on the towards Victory. At 1.4 km, on the roundabout, take the left exit for and continue for 4.7 km.
From Gela drive for 8.6 km la 
Gela-Vittoria and turn left to at the first crossroads for Niscemi. After 9.5 km, at the roundabout turn right into the and continue for 4.7 km.
From Victory on Ragusa-Gela, after the bridge over the Acate-Dirillo River, take the first crossroads for Niscemi and continue for 10.1 km to the entrance of the Reserve.
Permits / Rates
It is possible to organize guided visits to the Reserve, with the help of a naturalistic guide, by contacting the Environmental Education Center of Niscemi, Didactic Museum of Natural History.
Access:
- 1 Pisciotto entrance (
). From this entrance you can access the tactile path and those for mountain biking and horse riding.
For guided tours:
- U.P.A. Caltanissetta, ☎ 39 0934 532911, fax: 39 0934 532935.
- C.E.A. Niscemi, ☎ 39 389 5135902, fax: 39 0933 958405, @[email protected].
How to get around
Sughereta di Niscemi nature reserve: full-screen map.
Inside the reserve you can move on foot, by mountain bike (there are dedicated routes) or on horseback.
What see
- 1 The Big Oak. A large centuries-old cork tree, impressive for the diameter of its trunk.
- 2 Niscemi MUOS antennas. Military transmission system with high frequency antennas. Since 2011, the radio station has been the subject of protests by the population of Niscemi, worried about the expansion of the base, which is located within the Niscemi Reserve, and whose possible harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation from the new ground stations of the MUOS could impact the health of local wildlife and the inhabitants themselves.
What to do
You can go on a mountain bike ride following a 4.5 km trail and one on horseback.
- 1 Tactile path. There is a guided tour for the blind whose reference is a handrail that acts as a guide and some tables in Braille with the description of plants and animals.
- Arcia-Torotto Equipped Area.
Shopping
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Sughereta di Niscemi nature reserve
Commons contains images or other files on Sughereta di Niscemi nature reserve
