Vendicari - The Nature Reserve

#vendicari #sicily #sicilia
Vendicari is a Natural Reserve located in Siracusa district, on the southern part of Sicily’s east coast. For those who love trekking in the wildlife this is an unmissable excursion as the reserve is an oasis of lagoons and coastlines in a wonderful environment. Thanks to its beautiful seaside featured with sandy beaches and low rocky harbours, extended for several kilometres, this is a peaceful location for an amazing day at the sea in a pure place not so far from cities. Three itineraries, marked with colours, allow you to visit the area discovering its different aspects.

Moreover, Vendicari is a paradise for birdwatchers and ornithologists, as it is a refuge for thousands of migrating birds on the route to or from Africa. Especially flamingos love to relax here in Autumn and Spring. Depending on season, anyway, several other species (cormorans, herons, ducks, terns, etc) are easily visible from the hidden observation points scattered in the reserve. So, if you plan a trip to Vendicari, don’t forget binocular lenses and telephoto lenses for your camera.

Vendicari is an oasis but has an incredible seaside too, with full of undersea wonders. Some of its beaches are renowned among the best of Sicily and the entire Mediterranean, every year rewarded with the “Four Blue Sails” of Legambiente, a very important award given to certify the environmental quality of the site. So, especially in Spring or Summer, don’t forget your snorkelling gear!

A part from nature beauty, in the reserve there are also two interesting ancient buildings: the Tonnara and the Sveva tower. The Tonnara is a settlement where tuna fishes were collected from fisher boats and worked before market distribution. Tuna production in Vendicari started with the Arabs in the middle age and stopped only after the landing of Allied troops in Second World War. Not considering the historical point of view, Tonnara ruins are suggestive for their location just in front of an unbelievable seaside. The Sveva tower is an ancient fortification probably built during the fifteenth century to defend the warehouses next to the shore.

To get inside the protected zone you can choose among three entrances located along the Noto-Pachino road. The main access route to the park is the one in the middle (so the second no matter what direction you are driving to). This is the best solution if you want to visit all the Nature Reserve as there are some information panels to explain the history and the features of the area. Parking there is easy and, before the entrance, you’ll find some small restaurants. Remember that inside the reserve there are no bars or bathhouses, so bring some water and food with you if you plan to stay all day long.

Filmed with an Olympus OM-D EM5 Mark II, a GoPro Hero7 and a Nikon D3100 coupled with a powerful Sigma telephoto lenses, this short video has been edited with Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 and colour graded with Colour Director 5. Forbidden Drone flights over the protected area as they could disturb the birds.
The track “Lonesome Avenue” is by 126ers and is available in YouTube audio library.

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