Riserva Cassibile - Siracusa

The Natural Reserve Cavagrande Cassibile, was established in 1990 and is managed by the State Forests of the Sicilian Region. It occupies a total area of ​​over 2,500 hectares, extending in the municipalities of Avola, Noto and Syracuse. The land area is of great historical and archaeological importance as it has over 2,000 graves in artificial graves dating back some three thousand years ago. The reserve is crossed by the river Cassibile, the ancient greek Kacyparis, which through the millennia has created a series of deep canyons and numerous lakes. Among these the best known are the lakes of Avola, accessible through a historical scale, called Scala Cruci. The typical vegetation of the reserve is the Mediterranean scrub, enriched by a flora of more than 400 species of plants. The fauna is characterized by various types of species such as the peregrine falcon, the porcupine, marten and treefrog.