circeo
TRANSCRIPT
THE NATIONAL PARK OF CIRCEOTHE NATIONAL PARK OF CIRCEOThe National Park of Circeo, established
in 1934, is one of the oldest natural protected areas in Italy. It is extends
from Anzio to Terracina.
HISTORY
The park was established in 1934 by Benito Mussolini
to protect the Pontina plain. It is the only Italian and European national park which extends completely in a flat
and maritime environment.
Apart from this, it is also a natural reserve of the
UNESCO since 1997.
THE TERRITORYTHE TERRITORY
The Park consists of five fundamental habitats:-The forest-The promontory-The littoral dune-The wet zones-The island of Zannone
The The ForestForest
The Forest represents the most extensive plain in Italy. It is a varied
and rich ecosystem covered with Mediterranean macchia, pine trees but also turkey oak, evergreen oak, laurel, cork and flowering ash which can be seen as you walk or cycle along the different footpaths. You can admire different species of
vegetation belonging to the different climatic conditions.
It is the highest part of Monte Circeo , 541 m, According to the Odyssey, on the Circeo a witch called Circe lived and
transformed Ulysses and his companions into pigs.
From a distance the Circeo looks like a sleeping woman which gave origin to the
legend of Circe. The promontory of the Circeo is famous for its numerous and beautiful caves and the
most famous is the Guattari Cave.
The promontory
LITTORAL DUNELITTORAL DUNEIn the park there is a long coast which consists of about 22 km. The beach is formed of thin sand and is the ideal habitat
for small plants and numerous animal species. The environment is rather harsh because of the high
temperatures and the long droughts, the infertile land and the strong winds make the survival of the vegetable species
difficult to adapt.
WET ZONESWET ZONES
There are four coastal lakes: Paola, Caprolace, Monaci and Fogliano, that is what remains of the old " pontine marshlands", small basins of nipper water and the ideal refuge for many
species of aquatic birds even because the water is not very deep. On the
sides of the lakes there are different types of flora like saltworths while
the other areas are used for fishing.
Zannone is a small island which became part of the Park in 1979 and it is uninhabited
and covered with woods full of oaks and evergreen oaks.
Zannone island