Nebrodi National Park

The National Park of the Nebrodi mountains, stretching for around 70 kilometres, together with the Madonie mountains to the west and the Peloritani mountains to the east, form the siculan Appenines. The Park faces the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north and is bordered to the east by Etna, the Alcantara river and the upper reaches of the Simeto river. The natural features which most strongly characterize the landscape of the Nebrodi mountains include the diversity in the shape of the landscape itself, the rich vegetation and the moist, humid atmosphere. Their peaks, which reach a maximum height of 1,847 metres above sea level with Monte Soro, have round flanks which open out into wide valleys that have been sculpted by numerous rivers which flow into the Tyrrhenian Sea. In some parts their features resemble the Dolomites with irregular profiles and jagged forms. Good examples of this are the spectacular and impervious limestone rock formations of Monte San Fratello and, above all, the Rocche del Crasto in the region of Alcara Li Fusi and S. Marco D'Alunzio. The Nebrodi mountains are characterized by dense woods, high, verdant pastures, peaceful lakes and fast-flowing streams which contrast with the popular view of Sicily as an arid land parched by the sun. The Park has numerous destinations of interest for visitors such as the Castello dell’Impallaccionata or Pietratagliata, the Maulazzo lake at an altitude of 1,400 metres set in the middle of the Solazzo Verde plantation of beech trees and the Biviere lake near Cesarò which is the most important moist, mountain habitat for nature in Sicily. The Zerbetto, Malo Passo, Fossa del Lupo, Mangalaviti and Serra del Re woods between Longi and Bronte, accessible from Galati Mamertino, represent an area of extraordinary beauty and fascination for its dense vegetation and numerous streams. In total there are 23 municipalities inside the Nebrodi National Park: Acquedolci, Alcara Li Fusi, Capizzi, Caronia, Cesarò, Floresta, Galati Mamertino, Longi, Militello Rosmarino, Mistretta, Sant’Agata Militello, Santa Domenica Vittoria, San Fratello, San Marco d'Alunzio, Santo Stefano di Camastra, San Teodoro, Tortorici, Ucria, Bronte, Maniace, Randazzo, Cerami and Troina.