We
at Milazzo are nature! We at Milazzo are environment! We at Milazzo are sea and
that sea! May all those who pollute Milazzo die! We want to live
and have healthy children and grandchildren. We think that even the
industrialists are interested in this thingt! We spent at least 30 years of our life behind the dream of the
Reserve of Capo Milazzo, filming and collecting news and facts that we entrust
to the boys for their scholastic research and posterity because they spread the
high concept.
The students of Luigi Rizzo, led by teachers Natalina Torre and
Enza Perez, shot a video, directed by Claudio Italiano and were classified at
the Global Educational Festival of Sanremo in 2008; the theme they chose was
based on the reserve of Capo Milazzo. The title was: "From Hell to Heaven". (cfr Un DVD per la Riserva)
VIDEO FILMED BY THE BOYS OF LUIGI RIZZO AND
CLASSIFIED IN SANREMO AT THE GLOBAL EDUCATION FESTIVAL OF 2008
The Capo Milazzo Reserve and the Marine Reserve are assets of the whole
world! The Cape Reserve: a unique reality, a miracle of the neogenic evolution
of the Mediterranean that the whole world envies us, except Milazzo's people who has not yet established it, nor understood it!
Videoclip dall'Inferno al Paradiso parte I
Videoclip dall'Inferno al Paradiso parte II
What is a reserve?
The nature reserves are "territories which, for reasons of general interest,
especially of a scientific, aesthetic and educational nature, are subtracted
from the uncontrolled human intervention and placed under the control of the
public authorities in order to guarantee the preservation and protection of
fundamental natural features "(art.2 LR 98/1981). They have limited extension,
sometimes identifiable with a single biotope, that is a phenomenon or natural
entity, valuable in terms of ecology and landscape, significant from the
scientific point of view and representative of specific aspects of certain
territories. They differ from the regional natural parks which are, instead, "areas
of considerable extension, often coinciding with a natural area not yet
transformed by industrial and metropolitan intensive civilization, suitable for
vocation to fulfill composite purposes among which, alongside the priority
conservation, education, recreation in the open air and leisure time ".See >>
panorama a 360 °dalla Baronia su GoogleMaps
The area covered by the Nature Reserve proposal, presented to the Regional
Territory and Environment Department of the Municipality of Milazzo, is the
extreme part of the Capo Milazzo promontory. Much of this area, the northern end
of Capo Milazzo, consists of the lands of the Baronia owned by the Lucifer
Foundation, established in 1963, which pursues as an institutional aim the
assistance of the frail and needy children.
It includes:
- the territory of the "Baronia" with an area of 56.40 hectares;
- the Montetrino area (up to the base of the hilly emergency);
- the rocky ridge that connects the territory of the Baronia to the west and
Tono tip.
It borders:
- to the south with Via dei Platani and until its extension in Via delle Scale
up to the Levante sea;
- in Este with the Shores of Riva Smeralda, Cirucco and Punta Mazza;
- to the North with the Bay of Rinella, the Lighthouse, Punta Gamba di Donna,
Punta Messinese and the rock of the Portella;
- to the west with the Cala di S. Antonio and Puntalacci and from here,
following the whole ridge of the west for a height of 60 meters towards Pietre
Rosse, Testa dell'Impiccato, Punta Gottazze. Punta Riali, up to Punta del Tono.
Type
Being the territory in question, with significant environmental, scientific,
aesthetic and social value and therefore it is necessary that it be subtracted
from the uncontrolled human intervention (so to speak!) In order to allow its
conservation and protection proposes inclusion on the list of the Oriented
Natural Reserves of the Sicily Region, pursuant to the Regional Law May 6, 1981
n. 98 on "Regulations for the establishment of parks and nature reserves in the
Sicilian Region", with the amendments and additions referred to in Law. 9 August
1988, n. 14 and succ.
An earthly paradise called Capo Milazzo
The milazzese does not know or has never
understood or, worse still, pretends not to have understood that in the land of
Sicily God has given him an earthly paradise. And let's see why.
Climate
The average annual rainfall is 65 mm with an
uneven distribution but with greater concentration in the autumn-winter period.
The average summer temperature records values of about 26 °, the winter
temperature of 12 °. The low humidity of the area is a characteristic element of
the Mediterranean climate. It can be defined as a thermo-Mediterranean character.
It can be defined as an attenuated type. Preferential wind direction W-E.
Fauna
typical species of the Mediterranean scrub. In particular we will have: European
hedgehog, wild mouse, house mouse, fox, weasel, bat, wild conure, moscardino,
surmolotto.
Birdlife.
Birds
are the best indicators of the health of an environment and from their presence
or absence, in quantitative and qualitative terms, the importance of a given
area can be established. Numerous visits were made for which it was possible to
draw up the list below. Some species have been observed only in transit, being
mainly aquatic, in need therefore of marshes or streams for the stop. This does
not mean that the area is important, intact as it is currently, even for them.
Furthermore, eastern Sicily is affected by a notable migratory flow of birds
flying to and from Africa. The migration is in fact both autumn and spring and
millions of birds leave Sicily from Capo Milazzo, heading towards the Aeolian
Islands and from there in the rest of Europe. Among the vegetation, the rocks,
the natural hiding places, they find refuge from the predators, they rest after
the exhausting efforts of the trip, they take refuge, feeding themselves on
insects, fruits of the typical Mediterranean vegetation of the area. Big
predators, like eagles and hawks, hunt rodents and small birds, sometimes
insects. It is essential that they find in this natural springboard towards the
Tyrrhenian Sea a safe and rich place for food for them, as well as during the
outward journey to Africa, after having traveled hundreds of kilometers of open
love. In fact, they are threatened species all over Europe and the EU has
launched safeguard projects for years.
Traditional and ethno-anthropological agricultural landscape
Area is of considerable interest for the naturalistic, landscape,
geomorphological, anthropic, architectural and urban aspects, evidence of
different historical and cultural periods and ancient geological eras. From the
vegetational point of view the territory is characterized by two fundamental
aspects: one naturalistic and the other anthropic. The area is at an average
height of 75 meters with winds prevailing from the west-northwest quadrants as
indicated by the foliage of ancient olive trees. Traditional crops are made up
of olive groves and vineyards. The olive grove covers an area of 46 hectares
with a sixth of ml.9X9; the variety of olive trees is the "oglialora messinese",
an autochthonous typical oil cultivar, with a planting capacity of about 140
years. The yield in fruit is of about 1.00 per plant, with an oil yield of
28.30%. In progress, the olive grove is equipped with an undernourished
automated irrigation system and undergoes or should undergo an average
three-year pruning. The other traditional culture is represented by the vineyard,
with an area of 10 hectares. The cultivation of the vine in this area dates
back to very ancient times, even if it has undergone various transformations
over time, the most important of which dates back to the beginning of the last
century . Following the Fillosserica invasion, the vineyards were rebuilt by
hybrids of American vines, which found in Piana di Milazzo one of the most
important study centers in Europe, from which the nursery activity originated,
which still today holds economic importance. in the territory. The wines
produced in this area were quite renowned, so much so as to be mentioned in a
note from the 1930s by prof. Federico Paulsen, director, at the time, of the
Governor Nursery of American Viti of Palermo. In fact, the wines known as "Capo
Rosso" and "Capo Bianco" were famous as the peninsula assumes also due to the
calcareous white color of the rocks. In this sense, the production of Cape wine
can certainly be enhanced by typifying it in the context of current regulations.
The
natural vegetation consists above all of essence typical of the Mediterranean,
even if in a diversified manner compared to the pedological nature of the
territory, its morphology, the exposure of the slopes and the prevailing winds.
We find the scrubland vegetation along the coastal slopes spread on degraded
soils and on very rugged terrain. Rupicolous vegetation is instead located in
the rocky ravines and is characterized by a fragmented halophyte vegetation
scattered along the coast. The action of the prevailing winds to the west
diversifies the development of the vegetation of the eastern slopes from the
western ones of the Cape. In fact, the former have a higher degree of humidity
than the latter.
The shrubby vegetation along the dilevant slope, in association
with other lianas and various herbs and shrubs (rubia peregrina, lonicera
inplexa, teucrium flavium, prasym mayus, anemone hortensis and asparagus
acutifolius) is characterized by the presence of pistacia lentiscus and broom of
Spain (spartium yunceum), as well as from the "Euphorbia dendroides" which is a
xerothermofila plant like the Opuntia, the Artemisia arborescens, the European
Olia sylvestris. The action of the salt has favored the development of halophyte
entities typical of rocky coasts, both near the sea and inside. The
north-eastern area presents geo-botanical emergencies characterized by a rich
vascular flora consisting of species typical of the Mediterranean scrub which
also include Olivastro, Lentischio and Artemisia. It is worth mentioning the
Opuntia ficus indica, the Echinox spinosissimus Turra, Senecio gibosius and the
Limonium minutiflorum, the Agave (of Mexican origin as the Opuntus) spread over
the escarpments of the west coast facing the Bay of St. Antonio, the Oxales
pes-caprae (yellow sorrel) and the golden-yellow Chrysantemum coronarium, annual
plant that covers uncultivated land in wide expanses, the Orchis italica,
present on stony soils. Among the rupicolous vegetation we remember the Scabiosa
Credica considered rare in Sicily. The caper (caparis rupestris and spinosa),
typical plant of the Mediterranean, spontaneous shrub with simple leaves, large
pink flowers, large berries, grows in the ravines of the calcareous rocks of the
Cape. The flower buds form the "caper" from brine.
The geological studies on the Milazziano
Studied
under the geomorphological, geological and palaeontological profile since the
nineteenth century, Capo Milazzo has a high scientific interest, as evidenced by
the numerous researches that is rich in literature. The reason for what has been
illustrated by A. Zagami (A contribution to the census of the Sicilian
geological heritage: Capo Milazzo), which has shown that in the locality of
Punta Mazza and Cala S. Antonio the whole sedimentary succession emerges, which
provides an interesting model of proximal sedimentation in the context of the
complex evolution of the Mediterranean. And he underlined how the area, subject
to landscape restrictions, does not present anthropic works that could cause an
irreversible environmental impact. Stratigraphically, the Promontory, in the
northern part of which is the Baronia, consists of an island with a metamorphic
base emerging as a result of orogenetic movements in the Quaternary period,
considered, therefore, as a relatively recent derivation of the coastal plain by
a sandy supply. The Quaternari di Milazzo soils can be divided (cf. Ruggeri,
Institute of Paleontology and Geology of the University of Palermo): - Pebble
sands of the terrace between 40-60 meters along the west coast, between the
Tonnara and S. Antonio, on the east coast from Punta Salto del Cavallo to
Crucco. They are of limited thickness (a few dm). The outcrops are limited to
the coastal cliffs, because the sands are hidden by the mantle of pumice brown
cinerites that cover the flat part of the island. This terrace is the stratotype
of the Milazziano.- Bench flaps a few meters from the sea or submerged.
Indications of the existence of the oldest Quaternary of the Milazziano, are the
flowers of lithophages at high altitudes on the rocks of Montetrino and certain
calcareous-pebble fills of the fractures. So there was a marine quaternary "Premilazziano"
today eroded or hidden by rear sediments. It is likely that the Milazziane sands
may contain fossils from this older Quaternary, such as Valvelapore and
fragments that are often found.
Archaeological settlements in the area of the Capo
Reserve
In the area of Baronia there are traces of human presence since the middle of
the fourth millennium BC. It is documented by the discovery of fragments of
worked obsidian, obsidian blocks and Stentellian style ceramics. This continuous
presence, more or less uninterrupted until the classical era (about IV century
BC) documented this time by fragments with black paint, red or black decorated
ceramic, fragments of acromi.
Lucifero foundation building.
A
building dating back to the mid-17th century, with the annexed Chapel of St.
Nicholas, it was the work of Baron Onofrio Baele, who gave the name to the
district of Capo, called "Baronia", fief of that family. In 1751 by succession
it came to the Lucifero family. After the various events, the family died out
and passed to the "Lucifero Foundation of S. Nicolò"; established in 1963 as a
Moral Body, it has the purpose of assisting the frail and needy children and is
governed by a Board of Directors comprising representatives of the Municipality,
the Bishop and the Prefect.
The Bay of St. Antonio.
In
the Bay, to the north, nestled halfway up the ridged side of the promontory,
there are the remains of a medieval tower with two elevations, a square plan
with rounded corners, four access portals and upper openings - now collapsed -
in Gothic style. The tower, vulgarly called "U palumbaru" would not be a
military building but the Chillemi and the Malandrino attribute it to a project
of 28 August 1895 to realize a picturesque insertion in the natural scenery of
the Bay. The Torre Lunga, however, which today exists only as a ruin, is located
near the square of S. Antonio. It is an ancient tower for maritime defense,
dated 1584.
It is carved into the rock, where originally it was a cave in which the
Portuguese Fernando of Bulhoes took refuge and subsequently Sant'Antonio, when,
following a storm, in January 1221, the ship that was to take him to Lisbon, he
found shelter in the Bay of Capo Milazzo, said by him of S. Antonio. He returned
to Milazzo in 1222 to do the work of evangelization. After his death in 1231 and
his canonization (1232), the cave became a place of worship and spiritual
retreat. The current sanctuary built in the rock is the result of works begun in
1575, by the noble Andrea Guerriera; in 1737 by the archbishop of Messina
Tommaso De Vidal and the archpriest of Milazzo Abate Francesco Maria Proto, and
in 1783. Among the works preserved are worth mentioning the main altar with
inlays and stucco capitals, built in 1699 and in 1704; the side altar of the
Madonna della Provvidenza of 1697; finally the wooden statue of the Saint by the
sculptor Noè Ma roll of 1704; the stone portal is from 1699.
It can be reached from the parallel to the ridge that leads to the square of S.
Antonio, through a narrow road flanked by olive groves and "armacie", which
eventually climbs up a narrow winding path lapped by an intact, thick and
fragrant Mediterranean scrub; There are hawthorn, Carob tree, wormwood,
gladiolus the lyric, common broom, rock caper, wild fennel.