| Plant
life
Castiadas is not only its sea: apart from the kilometres of magnificent
coasts, there is a still fully intact environmental heritage,
sufficient to earn it the “palmares” award for being
one the three places in Italy where the existing vegetation has
remained virginal as Mother Nature created it.
Isolation for the plants has been a determining factor: several
very ancient vegetable species have been preserved here, which
are now extinct in other areas of Italy.
Setting off from the mountain chain of the Seven Brothers (future
regional park), and passing through the S’Acqua Callenti
district and Minni Minni one finally arrives in the Sa Callazziga
region. Here the rawness of the rocks shaped by the wind and rain
is stained with the vigorous green typical of the Mediterranean
bush.
As everyone knows, Sardinian plant-life is rich in endemisms (around
200), in other words, species which grow only on our island and
in Corsica. Many belong to ancient species and have been conserved
thanks to isolation.
Among these we find the fleur de lis, peony, thistle, cyclamen
and limonium as well as the copious “white lilies”
which spring up from the dunes at Cala Pira and Cala Sinzias (flowers
under threat of extinction and therefore protected). Tourists
are advised not to gather them as souvenirs, to avoid the extinction
of the species as well as a heavy fine!
The high-reaching local scrub is composed of junipers, strawberry
trees, wild olives, lentischus, carob trees, myrtle bushes and
cysts scattered around the entire territory of Castiadas, giving
the impression that here time stands still, with its primitive
design, not yet modified by man.
A slightly less impressive version also exists with shorter shrubs,
including various species such as rosemary, heather, thyme, oleanders,
juniper, sage, etc.
These marvellous forests, habitual destination of many tourists,
will astound you. Composed of an assortment of tall trees like
ilexes, oaks, cork trees and pinaster, they have, luckily, escaped
man’s hand.
. 
|
