Wild Flowers of Sicily

Lying in the central Mediterranean Sea, separated from the toe of Italy to the east by the Straits of Messina, from Sardinia to the north by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and from the continent of Africa to the south by the Straits of Sicily, the island of Sicily basks in a warm, mainly dry climate. The history of the island can be traced as far back as 13,000 BC when, as legend has it, the land was inhabited by a race of powerful and invincible giants, descended from Zeus. Their continued tenancy, however, was short-lived as they chose to challenge the authority of the Gods and were banished, in chains, to the underworld below the island’s volcanoes to fashion weapons, such as thunderbolts, for the Gods. To this day they struggle and moan to free themselves from the immense weight of the mountains, causing eruptions when they stir. Next, between the 13th and 11th centuries BC, the Elymian, Sical and Sican peoples colonised the island, giving it its name. By the third century BC, Sicily had become the first province of Rome, its fertile soil earning it the title of ‘Granary of the Empire’.

It is this fertile soil that we hope to benefit from in our search for the wild flowers of this beautiful island. During our stay, we will be visiting two specific areas — first, the beautiful Madonie Mountains which rise steeply from the northern coast, then the slopes of Mount Etna from base on the eastern side of the volcano. Our 2-centre holiday will begin with a flight to Catania, lying in Mount Etna’s shadow in the east of the island and, as our aeroplane banks, we may catch our first sight of Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano. This smouldering giant has been a menacing neighbour for the Sicilians ever since its first recorded eruption in 450 BC. There have been around 260 subsequent eruptions of varying intensity, which are still occurring to the present day. Etna’s inhospitable summit stands at about 3,350 metres above sea level and, with a diameter of 44 kilometres and an area of 1,600 square kilometres, she has a truly massive presence. There are a number of interesting botanical locations on the southern and eastern slopes and our plan for the latter part of our trip will be to explore the various stages of the lava’s colonisation and some of the area’s many endemic species.

On arrival we will transfer west to the Madonie Mountains, our base for the next four nights. En route we will look for the original Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odorata) and Blue Stonecrop (Sedum caeruleum), both endemic to Sicily. From our hotel near Polizzi Generosa, with its beautiful views of the mountains, we will explore the mountain meadows and woodlands, with their many orchids, including Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea), Sicilian Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys grandiflora), the endemic Archimedes’ Bee Orchid (Ophrys archimedea) and Ophrys flammeola, and the beautiful purple and lemon Dwarf Bearded Irises (Iris pseudopumila). We will walk up to Monte Quacella and the Madonna degli Angeli Valley, the home of the endemic Sicilian Fir (Abies nebrodensis), of which there are only about 30 mature trees in the world. On another day, we will travel west to the Bosco di Ficuzza, home to nearly the whole world population of the rare Pale Ophrys (Ophrys pallida), the endemic Ophrys oxyrrhyncos plus many other Ophrys species. The woodland is also home to the wild peony, Paeonia mascula, which in this area tends to be white.

Transferring to the Etna region, for our final three nights we will stay close to Sant'Alfio from where we will visit the Piano Provenzana, with its recent lava flows, where we should find Sicilian Milkvetch (Astragalus sicula), the endemic birch (Betula aetnensis) and the endemic Etna Violet (Viola aethnensis). Other species we should encounter include Etna Greenweed (Genista aetnensis), Etna Tansy (Tanacetum siculum) and Etna Barberry (Berberis aetnensis). On another day we will focus on the volcano itself, driving up to the Rifugio Sapienza where we will take the Funivia dell’Etna to the Piccolo Rifugio (about 2,500 metres), before transferring to large 4x4 vehicles to make the slow ascent via man-made tracks through the snow, lava and ash fields to the 2002/3 crater, just below the summit. The views from the top are magnificent. This is generally considered one of the highlights of the tour, but if you do not wish to take this excursion, there is an opportunity to explore the Crateri Silvestri, and to enjoy the many cafés, bars and retail outlets around the Rifugio Sapienza. Later, we will continue down the south side of the mountain onto a minor road where we will have lunch and explore some more lava flows, looking out for such species as Etna Green-weed (Genista aetnensis), French Figwort (Scrophularia canina), Elder-flowered Orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina) and Rock Bunting. Retracing our steps, we may stop to explore an area of Sweet Chestnut woodland near Zafferana, where we will look for Yellow Vetch (Vicia lutea), a birthwort (Aristolochia rotunda), the yellow and black pea (Vicia melanops) and Violet Bird’s-nest Orchid (Limodorum arbortivum).

This should be a memorable week, in which we will not only be able to enjoy many of Sicily’s special plants but will also gain a fascinating insight into the geology and history of this intriguing island.