Details and description
The salt steppes
As you travel along the road from the town to the beaches, you will notice a huge marshy area known as Is Pruinis. This area includes a basin almost completely covered in salt steppes, and which fills with sea water during heavy winter storms. The level of the water does not usually rise above 20-30 cm, and the basin is home to various types of water-loving vegetation, especially widgeon grass and clumps of marsh reeds. The most important plant species in this area are Limonium Sulcitanum (Sulcis Sea Lavender) and the Capo Teulada variant, and Halocnemum Strobilaceum.
The basin
When you arrive at Sant’Antioco, you may be surprised to see a town surrounded by water, and you may also catch a glimpse of one of the island’s symbolic species: the pink flamingo. You can then start to look more closely at the water around you. There is the lagoon on one side, and on the other the large basin known as the Stagno di Santa Caterina, classed as a Special Conservation Area. The basin is in a spectacular position, and is also home to many different types of wildlife. Birdwatchers often come here to catch sight of avocets, common and gull-billed terns, little terns, black-winged stilts, slender-billed gulls, shelduck, and many other coastal species. You can explore this ecosystem on foot or by bike by following the cycle trail/footpath, and stop in the rest areas to admire the scenery and take photos
An unspoiled environment
Capo Sperone is an area of wild beauty at the southern tip of the island. It is classed as an Area of Special Protection, because of the particular features of the landscape and relative wildlife interest. This unusually shaped promontory is known for its rocky, rugged terrain, covered with sparse Mediterranean scrub: a harsh but fascinating landscape which attracts many photographers and lovers of wild, unspoiled environments. Capo Sperone area is fringed by cliffs, particularly on the western side. There are several estates and farms in the area, whose vineyards, olive groves and pastures help create a timeless, bucolic atmosphere. On windy days, so common on this island, this sense of serenity is strangely combined with the sound of restless waves in the background
