Motta d'Affermo
Welcome to Motta d'Affermo!
Hello friends! Are you ready to discover a special place in Sicily? Today I want to tell you about Motta d'Affermo, a town of about 662 inhabitants located in the metropolitan city of Messina, in Sicily. The mottese territory belongs to the diocese of Patti and is part of the inter-municipal consortium Valle dell'Halaesa, together with the municipalities of Pettineo, Tusa and Castel di Lucio. Are you ready to discover the wonders of the Motta nature?
Physical geography
The landscape, flora and fauna
Often, when we think of Sicily, we imagine an arid and barren landscape. But this is not the case for Motta d'Affermo! Here you can admire nature in all its splendor, with a variety of landscapes that range from sea level up to 950 meters above sea level, on the top of Mount S. Cuono. Fortunately, the sandy-clayey nature allowed for shaping in soft and rounded forms, which perfectly match the vegetation present in the territory.
Up to an altitude of 500 meters, you can admire the cultivation of olive trees, with majestic thousand-year-old trees that rise on the fields. But not only that: among the leaves of the olive trees, there are also chestnuts, pines and cypresses. Higher up, you will find groves of hazelnuts, oaks and broad-leaved trees, among large carpets of ferns, brooms and wildflowers. If you walk along the ancient Tratturo, you will also encounter rows of cypresses. Near the village, you will find the woodland owned by the municipality, born a few decades ago thanks to reforestation efforts carried out by the Forestry Corps, characterized mainly by conifers and broad-leaved trees.
Above 800 meters of altitude, on the other hand, you will find areas historically used as pastureland. And many shrubs accompany with their colors and scents the woods and pastures; among the spontaneous shrub species there are especially hawthorn, dog rose, holly, fillirea, fragrant broom.
But the Motta nature does not end here! On the limestone rocks, for example, you can admire the tree euphorbia accompanied by the wild olive, the hackberry, the holm oak, the lentisk and the mast oak. While on the sandstone rocks, where aridity and overheating are lower, we usually find the buplero, the coronilla and the sommaco. And what about the coast, mainly composed of variously sized pebbles, and about 8 km long? A true spectacle of nature!
The fauna
But it is not only the flora that plays a leading role in Motta d'Affermo: the fauna is equally valuable and diverse. Among the most common animal species in the area, you can find foxes, hares, hedgehogs, but also siskins, robins and blackbirds. And if you are looking for a truly special animal, have you ever encountered the musky shrew? It reminds you of a mouse, but if you sniff it you will immediately notice the difference: they emit a strong aromatic odor, thanks to which they defend themselves from predators. Truly fascinating!
How to reach Motta d'Affermo
But how to reach this small Sicilian town? If you are coming from mainland Italy, you can take the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina, then follow the signs to Palermo. Once you arrive in Capo d'Orlando, you will need to travel about 10 km to reach Motta d'Affermo. But I assure you that the road, albeit a bit winding, will make you admire breathtaking views!
Conclusions
We have come to the end of this virtual journey to Motta d'Affermo. The hope is that you have discovered a special place that has encouraged you to visit it as soon as possible! Here, among the lush nature and diverse fauna, you can spend days of pure relaxation and discovery, immersed in landscapes that will fill your heart. Come to Motta d'Affermo, you will be welcomed with the hospitality and generosity that distinguish the Sicilians!
