Climiti Mounts

Climiti Mounts are a great bank of Miocene limestone deposited on Cretaceous submarine volcanic eruptions. During the Pliocene Epoch, the Climiti Mounts begun to arise from sea. In the faults formed river valleys locally known as “cave” (Cava Spampinato, Cava of Pugno Sciurata, Cava Scrivilleri, Cava Cuba and Cava Sorciaro). Today these caves protect our forests; the most common tree species is the Holm Oak, a large evergreen oak. Of great natural beauty are plants like the Rocky Nettle, the Sicilian Cymbalaria, the Aristolochia etc. The name Climiti is a Greek word meaning “staircase”. There are several steps carved into the limestone: from the Greek era and the Byzantine era. The site is dotted with many prehistoric necropolises dating back to the Old Bronze Age, the culture of “Castelluccio”. These necropolises lie in the Spampinato valley, in Castelluccio district, near Cugno Sciurata and Cava Cuba, while necropolises dating back to the late Bronze Age lie in Puliga district, near Cugno Sciurata and Castelluccio district. The old, still working aqueduct Galermi, built in 480 B. C., passes through the area. There are also many necropolises dating to the Late Roman Age. In addition, in this area a rocky church and a Byzantine castle evidence the influence of Christianity and the Byzantine culture. Moreover, we can find another Byzantine necropolis on Saint Nicola Mount. Of remarkable architectural interest are the Early Christian Age graves of Scrivilleri. The fauna is rich and varied. Among the mammals there are foxes, hares, porcupines, hedgehogs and least weasels. Reptiles: Sicilian lizards, green lizards, green whip snakes, European ratsnakes, etc. The farms worked till last century, but today they are abandoned except for Cavallaro's and Scrivilleri's farms. Climiti Mounts, already subjected to environmentally protective restrictions, are also a site of EU interest.