THE ALCANTARA RIVER PARK

The Alcantara River Park is a regional park in Sicily which was established in 2001.It includes the provinces of Messina and Catania , which form the basin of the Alcantara river. The park is located in Francavilla di Sicilia. The morphology of the area is created by the flow of the water that has shaped it , creating evocative and deep overhanging gorges , known as the Alcantara Gorges. Inside the park you can see a wonderful succession of lakes and waterfalls , of very cold water.

In the 15^th century in the Alcantara Valley there was a dense forest of plane trees , oaks  and elms . Today there are only rare traces of “Platanus orientalis” , but the typical Mediterranean stain ,with various species of broom and peony with its red inflorescence, predominates. As you descend in altitude, dense hazel woods alternate with citrus orchards and vineyards which produce a dark full-bodied wine, famous since antiquity. In the spring the river banks are an explosion of colors : purple, poppy anemone, myrtle, wild rose, prickly pear , oleander and various species of orchids 

( “Anacamptis”, “papilionacea”, “tenthredinifera Ophrys” and “Orchis purpurea”).

The fauna of the Alcantara Valley is varied , about 200 species , including the peregrine falcon , the kestrel and the hobby . the presence of the wild pigeon is doubtful , however the turtle dove and the kingfisher are  well distributed. Also you can meet the rock partridge , the little egret and the raven . Other animals are the fox, the wild cat, the marten, and the dormouse, the hedgehogs, the porcupines, and the Savi's vole. Near the banks you can see the “Discoglossus pictus” , a typical amphibian of Sicily and the leopard snake , a beautiful rare and harmless reptile. Among the fish species, there is the rainbow trout (that in this particular stream is able to reproduce itself), the roach, the eel and the goby.