The Madonie Regional Natural Park (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Parco delle Madonie'') is an Italian

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distri ...

located in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, between

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

and

Cefalù Cefalù (), classically known as Cephaloedium (), is a city and comune in the Italian Metropolitan City of Palermo, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily about east of the provincial capital and west of Messina. The town, with its populati ...

and covers . Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie: 2009 Parco delle Madonie – Guida Sicilia: 2009

Geography

It includes the Madonie mountain range and some of the highest mountains in Sicily. The park has six mountains that are over and many more that are over . The highest is

Pizzo Carbonara Pizzo Carbonara is the highest peak of the Madonie mountains in Sicily. It is the second-highest peak in Sicily, only Mount Etna being higher, although it is only two meters higher than the neighbouring Pizzo Antenna. Pizzo Carbonara is lo ...

Landscapes of Sicily: 2001, p8 at , second in height in Sicily only to

Mount Etna Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...

. As well as being a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, the park is an inhabited area with dozens of little villages and small towns, many of which trace their origins to

medieval times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. The park is also home to a number of

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s and numerous ancient

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

es. The wild mountainous slopes are inhabited by

fallow deer ''Dama'' is a genus of deer in the subfamily Cervinae, commonly referred to as fallow deer. Name The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour. The Latin word ''dāma'' or ''damma'', used for roe deer, gazelles, and antelopes, ...

(were introduced in the 1980s),

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

s and

Bonelli's eagle The Bonelli's eagle (''Aquila fasciata'') is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an ...

s, as well as being a

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

to the rare, nearly-extinct Nebrodi

fir tree Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to ...

. One of the park's most notable natural features is the extensive forest of beech trees found only at and above. These are the most southerly beech forests in Europe. Lower down, below , there are large forests of holm oak, downy oak and cork oak, and around Castelbuono and Pollina the rare manna ash is still farmed. The mountains contain some 1500 species and sub-species of plants, around 60% of all those found in Sicily. These include more than 70 different species of orchid.''The Madonie Park Orchids'' by Amdedeo Falci and S. Antoine Giardina.

History

The regional park was officially created on 9 November 1989. Within the park area there are outcrops of rocks which have been dated at over a 200-million-year period and represent all aspects of the

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

of Sicily apart from the current

volcanic activity Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a ...

. The collaboration of the Madonie Park authorities and the

European Geoparks Network The European Geoparks Network (EGN) functions as the regional organization of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme (UNESCO-IGGP). Its main objective is to ensure cooperation between geop ...

has allowed the research of students and lecturers of the

University of Palermo The University of Palermo ( it, Università degli Studi di Palermo) is a university located in Palermo, Italy, and founded in 1806. It is organized in 12 Faculties. History The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806, although its ...

's Department of Geology and Geodesy. Studies have been made, papers published, and educational paths mapped out, with signs erected with information on the ground. Madonie Geopark is a member of the European Geoparks Network and the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Global Geoparks Network UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...

. The park comprises fifteen municipalities of the

province of Palermo The Province of Palermo ( it, provincia di Palermo; Sicilian: ''pruvincia di Palermu'') was a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Palermo. On 4 August 2015, it was replaced ...

: (

Caltavuturo Caltavuturo ( Sicilian: ''Caltavuturu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The neighboring comunes are Polizzi Generosa, Scillato and Sclafani Bagni. History According to many scholars, the name and ori ...

Castelbuono Castelbuono ( Sicilian: ''Castiddubbuonu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily (southern Italy). Fountain of Venere Ciprea. It is known for its castle from which its name derives, and around which the city deve ...

Castellana Sicula Castellana Sicula ( Sicilian: ''Castiddana'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Castellana Sicula borders the following municipalities: Petral ...

Collesano Collesano ( grc, Κολασσαέων, translit=Kolassaéon; el, Κολεσάνο, Kolesáno Sicilian: ''Culisanu'') is a small town in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. It is situated roughly from the provincial capital of Palermo. It ...

Geraci Siculo Geraci Siculo ( Sicilian: ''Jiraci'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Geraci Siculo borders the following municipalities: Castel di Lucio, Caste ...

Gratteri Gratteri ( Sicilian: ''Ratteri'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,050 and an area of .All demo ...

Isnello Isnello ( Sicilian: ''Isneddu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region of Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Isnello borders the following municipalities: Castelbuono, Cefalù, Colle ...

Petralia Soprana Petralia Soprana ( Sicilian: ''Pitralìa Suprana'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,630 and an ...

Petralia Sottana Petralia Sottana ( scn, Pitralìa Suttana) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in the island of Sicily, Southern Italy. The main characters in Emanuele Crialese's 2006 film of Sicilian immigration to America, ''Nuovomon ...

Polizzi Generosa Polizzi Generosa ( Sicilian: ''Pulizzi'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. The town sits in the hills at above sea level. History The site of Polizzi shows signs of human o ...

Pollina Pollina ( Sicilian: ''Puòddina'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,102 and an area of .All demograph ...

San Mauro Castelverde San Mauro Castelverde ( Sicilian: ''Santu Màuru'') is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily, southern Italy. San Mauro Castelverde had an estimated population of 1,634. Notable persons from San Mauro Castelverde include Sa ...

Scillato Scillato ( Sicilian: ''Scillatu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 671 and an area of .All demogra ...

and

Sclafani Bagni Sclafani Bagni ( Sicilian: ''Sclàfani Bagni'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Geography Sclafani Bagni borders the following municipalities: A ...

Notes

References

* * * * Rampulla G., ''La Valle del Fiume Tusa nella Contea di Geraci: Pettineo, Migaido e Castel di Lucio'', Patti 2007, ed. Kimerik. . * Francesco Alaimo. 'The Madonie Park' Fabbio Orlando Editore, May 2002 * The Madonie Park Orchids, Amedeo Falci & S. Antoine Giardina, Paruzzo Editore, 2005. * Parts translated from the Italian Wikipedia version of this article. Retrieved 2009-09-17.

External links

*�
Official Madonie Regional Natural Park website
*�
Official Madonie Regional Natural Park website
*�
UNESCO.org: Madonie Natural Park
* {{Authority control Parks in Sicily Province of Palermo Geoparks in Italy Nature reserves in Italy Regional parks of Italy Global Geoparks Network members Protected areas of the Apennines