Pergusa Lake

The final surprise that Enna has in store is the large valley floor that lies 10 km to the south of the city, surrounded by the Erean mountains and the forests of conifer, eucalyptus and woodland stretching almost to the shoreline. Surprisingly, this is the only natural lake in Sicily - and equally surprisingly, its waters are brackish. The lake is very shallow and has no tributaries leading in or out, but the natural process of evaporation of the groundwater and rainfall preserves the salts which have dissolved into the terrain. This area of geological, natural and cultural interest led thirty years ago to the creation of thePergusa Lake Nature Reserve: the visitor centre is located between the lakeshore closest to Enna and the main road SS 561, which leads out of the city along the extension of Via Pergusa. The geology tells us of tectonic plates, while the biology and geopgraphy reveal that this location is an important crossroads on migratory routes and is also home to downy oaks, holm oaks and aquatic vegetation such as reeds and bulrushes. The cultural interest comes from the classical myth of Persephone, daughter of the goddess Ceres (Demeter), who gave the fortress of Enna its name. Pergusa may have been the scene of the dramatic abduction of Persephone by the god of the Underworld, even though thanks to the intervention of her mother Ceres, the girl was released from the bowels of the earth each year, to give the world its summer. More clearly in evidence, all around the valley floor, is the Pergusa Autodrome, the asphalted circuit of 5 km complete with grandstands and pit lane, which in the 1960s was also the venue for the Formula 1 Mediterranean Grand Prix. Today, the circuit also hosts a number of vintage motor racing events.