The Pino d'Aleppo oriented nature reserve is a protected natural area in the municipalities of Vittoria, Ragusa and Comiso, in the province of Ragusa, established in 1990 to safeguard the surviving native stands of Pinus halepensis and to restore the pine wood in areas of garrigue degraded by human action.
What to see
It extends over about three thousand hectares, between reserve area (zone A) and pre-reserve area (zone B), and includes the last stretch of the river Ippari, in the Vittoria Plain, at the south-western edge of the Hyblaean plateau. It holds what can be considered the last spontaneous stand of Aleppo pine in Sicily; among the other trees are the wild olive and the carob, while the undergrowth has the species typical of the Mediterranean maquis, such as mastic, mock privet and Italian buckthorn, with scattered specimens of terebinth, strawberry tree, dwarf palm, thyme, rosemary and heath. In the coastal strip grow the kermes oak, the Phoenician juniper and the white broom; along the river banks is the typical riverside vegetation, with poplars, willows and dense beds of giant reed. The wild orchids are very rich, with 32 different kinds, among them the rare Ophrys exaltata.
Among mammals are noted weasel, fox, rabbit, hare, hedgehog, porcupine, garden dormouse, water vole and various species of bats. There is a rich variety of birds: goldfinch, serin, blackbird and hoopoe, and among diurnal raptors buzzard, kestrel and marsh harrier, among nocturnal ones little owl and barn owl. In the pools near the coastal strip it is not rare to see migratory species such as grey heron, little egret, black-winged stilt and mallard. Among amphibians are the green frog and the toad.
Visiting
The reserve lies between Vittoria, Comiso and Ragusa, along the last stretch of the Ippari. The sources consulted give no access points, paths, hours or visiting rules: check them.
Our editors' tip
Among reptiles numerous snakes are recorded, among them the leopard snake, then green lizards, ocellated skinks and a few rare Hermann's tortoises; among the river's animals the freshwater crab deserves a mention.
