Laghetti di Marinello nature reserve

The Laghetti di Marinella oriented nature reserve is a natural area located in the municipality of Patti, established in 1998. A unique lagoon area of its kind; and subjected to continuous morphological variations. The coast lines and the lakes are in fact continuously modified by the wind, by the changes of season and by the strong storms coming from the north-west that transport sand and gravel to the coast, which form different beaches. The formation of the lakes dates back to the period between 1865 and 1895 following the particular morphological conditions of the coast. The lakes are located under the promontory of the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna, Madonna to whom the legend of the formation of the lakes is linked. In fact, it is said of a woman who went with her little girl to the sanctuary and was disappointed to see the face of the Madonna; the woman complained aloud about the face of the Madonna and the useless effort she had made to go to the sanctuary. At that moment her little girl fell from a window of the sanctuary, the woman then began to ask the saint for help and as if by a miracle the waters that bathed the mountain opened forming sand dunes. The rocky walls that surround the coast are the ideal habitat for many migratory birds including the peregrine falcon. The lakes are very important for the fauna of many species, just think of the goby that lives in the depths of the muddy bottoms. The Marinello lakes are the latest example of a brackish coastal environment present in north-eastern Sicily.