Niceto Valley
Valley in Sicily, Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Niceto Valley (also known as the Plain of Torregrotta)[1] is a coastal plain in Sicily lying on the northern slopes of the Peloritani Mountains in the Metropolitan City of Messina. It takes its name from the eponymous stream that runs through it. It is a production area for the Sbergia peach.[2]
| Niceto Valley | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Country | Italy |
| State/Province | Sicily |
| District | Metropolitan City of Messina |
| River | Niceto |
Geography
The coastal Niceto Valley extends from the south starting at the confluence of the Bagheria stream into the Niceto and slopes down towards the Tyrrhenian Sea.[3] It is bounded to the east and west by two hill ridges transverse to the Peloritani crest:[4] the first branches off from the village of Roccavaldina and closes east of Torregrotta[4]; the second slopes down from San Pier Niceto and reaches the coast west of the Marina district of Monforte San Giorgio.[4] The geomorphological trend is flat, with a width exceeding one kilometre and a very low gradient.[5] From a lithological point of view, the area consists of a layer of alluvial deposits characterized by mixtures of gravel and pebbles with a sandy binder, with interlayers of sandy and clayey silt.[6]
The area near the coast is characterized by very abundant spring water during the summer, a phenomenon reported by Pliny the Elder in his work Natural History[7] and extensively documented scientifically in the 1980s.[8] The valley shows notable anthropization caused both by the rapid expansion of the town of Torregrotta[9] and by intensive agricultural activity,[9] consisting mainly of vegetable crops, such as the potato.[10] Citrus groves and orchards of sbergie, a variety of nectarines found only on this Sicilian plain, are also widespread.[2][11]
History
The valley originated in the geological epoch of the Late Pleistocene, about 140,000 years ago,[2] thanks to alluvial deposits that over the centuries stratified, reclaiming portions of land from the sea. The environment was rich in forests and swampy only near the mouths of the streams – the Niceto, the Bagheria and the Lavina – which, flowing independently, formed a vast delta.[12]
With the advent of man, the pristine forests that curbed the impetuosity of the rivers were progressively replaced by large plots of land intended for agriculture and animal grazing.[12]
Human presence in small villages of farmers during the Greek-Roman period is attested.[13][14][15] The valley constitutes one of the research hypotheses for the location of two ancient structures of antiquity whose traces have been lost: the cities of Naulochus and Artemisium, and a temple connected to the latter dedicated to Diana Facellina. Naulochus served as a refuge and fitting-out point for Roman ships, later becoming famous due to the battle that took its name, which occurred in 36 BC between the fleets of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Sextus Pompey.[16] Artemisium and the temple are linked instead to the myth of the cattle of the Sun, reported in several Latin texts.[17] Thanks to the study of these texts and the territory, over the last few centuries various hypotheses have been advanced regarding the location of the structures, not supported by archaeological evidence, some of which indicate the vicinity of the Niceto stream as a possible location.[18][19][20]
Over the following centuries, the population concentrated mainly in the historic centre of present-day Torregrotta, as well as in the surrounding hill villages, while the area near the coast remained almost completely uninhabited until the beginning of the 19th century, when various drainage works were carried out, reclaiming the area.[21]
In the 16th century, thanks to the work of Camillo Camilliani, it is known that the Lavina constituted an effluent of the Bagheria, which continued to flow independently from the Niceto and caused floods due to periodic overflows. In this regard, in 1839 there was a great flood that caused serious damage to the land and houses of Torregrotta.[22] Consequently, in 1840 various containment works were built, still visible today, although some of them no longer serve their original purpose, which diverted the course of the Bagheria, turning it into a tributary of the Niceto.[22]
Flora
The marsh area, of which the valley is a part, and particularly the coastal zone near the mouth of the Niceto, can be counted "among the main sites for the conservation of bio-diversity in the Peloritani district".[23] In addition to dense vegetation composed of botanical species common to most Italian marsh environments such as common reed (Phragmites australis), sharp rush (Juncus acutus), water celery (Apium nodiflorum) and great horsetail (Equisetum telmateia), several species typical of the Peloritani environment are also present:[24]
- coastal sow-thistle (Sonchus maritimus L. subsp. maritimus)
- water plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica L.)
- Galium palustre L. subsp. elongatum Lange
- branched bur-reed (Sparganium erectum L.)
- purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.)
- floating sweet-grass (Glyceria spicata Guss.)
Thanks to a study conducted by the Department of Botany of the University of Messina, several species not yet known for the Peloritani flora were found, including:[24]
- yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus L.) – a species included in the regional red list with the status VU (vulnerable)
- lake club-rush (Schoenoplectus tabaernemontani Palla) – rare species
Fauna
In the Niceto Valley, numerous species of avifauna nest:[25]
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To these are added equally numerous species of non-nesting migratory avifauna,[26] which find the right habitat here for their annual stopover.[2] Among these are also the mute swans (Cygnus olor), the last sighting of which dates back to the period between February and March 2006, when a flock wintered in the marsh environments adjacent to the mouth of the Niceto.[27][28] The following animal species are also present in the valley (divided by class):
- Mammals:[29] pine marten (Martes martes), least weasel (Mustela nivalis), European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus).
- Reptiles:[30] western whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) – serpi nira in the local dialect, grass snake (Natrix natrix), western green lizard (Lacerta bilineata), Italian wall lizard (Podarcis sicula), ocellated skink (Chalcides ocellatus), common wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) – Scurpiuni in the local dialect, Italian three-toed skink (Chalcides chalcides).
- Amphibians:[31] Italian tree frog (Hyla intermedia), painted frog (Discoglossus pictus), common toad (Bufo bufo), green toad (Bufotes viridis).
- Actinopterygii: European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Now completely disappeared from the Niceto river, its persistence is hypothesized in the saie (canals) of the valley, especially during the breeding period, when adult specimens migrate from rivers to the sea while young specimens swim upstream.[27]
Human geography
The Niceto Valley is territorially divided among three municipalities which, with their territories, form three latitudinal bands: Torregrotta occupies the eastern band, Monforte San Giorgio the central band, San Pier Niceto the western one. Considering historical and geographical reasons, the hill municipalities of Roccavaldina[32] and Valdina[33] can also be added.
Infrastructure and transport
The valley is served by all the main communication routes of northern Sicily. The Strada Statale 113 runs almost near the coast, and from it branch off the provincial roads that connect the historic hill villages with their marine hamlets and with Torregrotta:
- Provincial Road no. 58 "Valdina"
- Provincial Road no. 59 "Torregrotta – Roccavaldina"
- Provincial Road no. 60 "Torregrotta – Monforte San Giorgio – Pellegrino"
- Provincial Road no. 61 "San Pier Niceto"
The nearest interchanges of the Autostrada A20 are those of Milazzo and Rometta. Since 1999[34] there has been a project to build a new interchange in the territory of the municipality of Monforte San Giorgio, only 500 metres from the urban centre of Torregrotta. Another artery serving the valley is the A.S.I. (Milazzo – Torregrotta) road axis.[35]
The only railway stop in the valley is Torregrotta railway station, where several regional trains stop[36] along the Palermo–Messina railway. The latter, from 9 August 2009,[37] runs on a new route, entirely on viaduct and double-track, replacing the historic single-track route.
