Marina del Plemmirio Nature Reserve in Syracuse

La Plemmirio Marine Nature Reserve is one of the most beautiful places in the entire Syracuse area, established in 2004 with the intention of preserving the natural beauties that characterize it, in order to safeguard the environmental integrity that hosts numerous species of plants and animals which, over the time, they have found their perfect habitat here. There Plemmirio Nature Reserve it develops for almost 15 km of coastline, occupying a total area of ​​about 2500 hectares of sea alone, to which is also added a vast land area.

Archaeological Area of ​​Plemmirio in Syracuse

The Marina del Plemmirio Nature Reserve is not only a place to be preserved for its natural beauty, but it is also one of the most important archaeological basins in the whole of Sicily. In fact, in ancient times, this place was crossed by numerous boats belonging to different populations who, in one way or another, had a history with Sicily, such as the Greeks, Romans and Carthaginians. The testimony of their passage through the locality of Plemmirio is represented by the numerous wrecks present in its depths, as well as numerous archaeological finds, some of these recovered while many others still lie in the deepest points of this sea.

In addition to the archaeological finds from the ancient era, there are also many testimonies of the Second World War, among which the wreck of a British bomber discovered only in 2017 at about 40 meters deep, which would have been shot down during the summer of 1943, completely losing its traces until the moment of its discovery.

Fauna of Plemmirio in Syracuse

The fauna of the Plemmirio Marine Nature Reserve is one of the reasons why the choice was made to transform this territory into a protected area.

Indeed, in Plemmirio it is possible to find a small one barrier Reef, decidedly rare and unusual for this Sicilian territory, inhabited by a large number of marine species, including fish, crustaceans and various aquatic plants. The waters of the Plemmirio Marine Nature Reserve have important species to be preserved, among which dolphins, sharks and even sperm whales are mentioned, with several sightings of the latter which have been immortalized together with their puppies, suggesting that this is one of the favorite areas of the Sicilian marine fauna. Snapper, amberjack and tuna are among the most common fish, while among the other marine species there is also the presence of abundant sea urchins.

How to get to the Plemmirio Marine Nature Reserve in Syracuse

The Plemmirio Marine Nature Reserve is located about 13 km from Syracuse, to which it is connected via the State Road 115 and the Provincial Road 58. Thanks to these road connections, you can reach the Plemmirio Marine Nature Reserve thanks to all the services which lead up to its capital, which boasts the presence of the Syracuse railway station, widely served by all regional trains and more, as well as having direct routes with Catania Fontanarossa Airport, about 60 km away, to which it also connects thanks to the buses of the Sicilian bus lines.

© Image by Queues2, CC BY-SA 3.0 - David Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons