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“Woods and Springs of Baronia” Special Protection Area (IT8040022) stretches over an area of 8.594 acres. It is a type “A” site, classified as a “Special Protection Area” (SPA) in the Natura 2000 Network. The site is part of the Mediterranean biogeographical region, with an average altitude of about 2.355 ft. (min. 1.355 – max. 3.356 ft).

The actual wood grows on about 173 acres and reaches a maximum height of 2.066 ft in the municipality of Vita (Province of Trapani). Only 1.24 miles from the town of Vita, there are the “nivieri”, large and ancient buildings shaped like inverted cones and once filled with snow, insulated with straw and earth, and serving as water reserves and storage facilities.

In this wood, the vegetation is mainly made of conifers, belonging to the genera Pinus, Cedrus, and Cupressus, with a remarkable presence of locust trees with rapid growth. It is still possible to see a part of the old oak wood, featuring impressive specimens of Southern live oak (Quercus virgiliana) and shrubs of Rosa canina, Prunus spinosa, Calicotome infesta, Asparagus acutifolius, Ruscus aculeatus, Lonicera etrusca, and Erica arborea.

If you heard a hoarse sound, it would come from jays that usually seek shelter among the takes the branches of the luxuriant vegetation.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)