The Bosco di Alcamo nature reserve, established in 1984, covers 199 hectares at the top of Monte Bonifato, the pyramid-shaped limestone peak, 825 metres high, that towers over Alcamo. The surrounding landscape is farmland, dominated by vineyards. Until the nineteenth century the mountain was covered with broadleaf woodland, lost to fires and felling; from 1921 it was replanted with Aleppo pine, cypress and stone pine, and over time the local broadleaf species have gradually returned.
What to see
Today's wood covers the northern slope and consists mainly of maritime and Aleppo pine; among the rocks survive patches of evergreen scrub with holm oak, ash and downy oak. There is the ampelodesmos grassland, the disa, once used to tie vines and make ropes and baskets, and plants tied to local crafts grow here: ferula for chairs and stools, dwarf palm for brooms, sumac for tanning hides and the ash from which manna was obtained. Peonies, spurges and orchids also stand out, including the rare Orchis commutata and Orchis brancifortii, and many aromatic plants such as thyme, rosemary, sage and oregano.
The wood is home to wood pigeons, jays, kestrels, great spotted woodpeckers, buzzards and goldfinches, and among the mammals porcupines, foxes, weasels, wild rabbits and hedgehogs. Inside and near the reserve are a prehistoric necropolis, the Ventimiglia castle, the Porta Regina, the ruins of the fortified town of Bùnifat with cisterns and snow pits, and the Funtanazza reservoir.
Visiting
Three trails cross the reserve: the San Nicola trail, 1800 metres long, the Orchid trail, 850 metres, and the Panoramica Est, 2400 metres. In a building at the edge of the pine wood, part of the Cielo d'Alcamo hostel, environmental education activities are held. The reserve has been hit by fires several times: any access restrictions should be checked beforehand.
Our editors' tip
Among the reserve's reptiles is an endemic snake known in dialect as serpe nivura, along with whip snakes, vipers and green lizards: on the trails it is wise to watch where you step.
