Isola di Capo Passero
| Isola di Capo Passero | ||
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| Waters | Ionian sea | |
| Geographical location | 36 ° 41 '13 " N , 15 ° 8' 54" E | |
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| length | 1.3 km | |
| width | 500 m | |
| surface | 37 ha | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
The Isola di Capo Passero is a small, flat and uninhabited island in southeast Sicily , around 300 m off the coast of the Ionian Sea . It belongs to the territory of the municipality of Portopalo di Capo Passero and is named after the cape of the same name (Eng. 'Sparrow Cape') at its eastern tip. It used to be a peninsula connected to the main Sicilian island by a sandy isthmus . It measures around 1300 by 500 meters and covers an area of around 37 hectares .
At the southwestern tip of the island there is a small sandy beach that is used for swimming in summer. In the west there are remains of tuna fishing houses that date back to the 13th century but are now abandoned. The north and east coasts are rocky and rugged and contain some grottos, including the Grotta del Polipo. There are also some underwater rocks here.
The remains of a fortress built under Charles V in the 16th century are the most striking evidence of former settlement. Next to it is a modern lighthouse. In 1959, a bronze statue of Maria Santissima Scala del Paradiso by the sculptor Mario Ferretti was erected on the island.
Flora and fauna
Dwarf palms grow in the center of the island , the flora on the west coast is rich, here you will find, among other things, beach wolf milk , dune funnel-shaped daffodil and beach glue .
The island's wildlife is dominated by rabbits and lizards , and there are also numerous species of birds, including the colt , greenling , goldfinch , warbler , stonechat and gulls . The once rich marine fauna has declined over the past decades, so the loggerhead turtle that used to live here has now disappeared. In the sea around the island there are still mullets , sea bass , sea bream , flounder and lobster among others .