When the Mare Nostrum became a lake
During the second part of the geological period known as the 'Messinian', the Mediterranean Sea repeatedly became an enclosed lake, increasingly smaller and increasingly salty.
Semiarid Ecosystem
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Points of interest
Aurinia saxatilis
Like cabbage, the basket of gold belongs to the Brassicaceae family that was formerly known as ‘Cruciferae’ due to the four cross-shaped petals of ...
The Laterza ravine cuts through marine deposits in the form of limestone and calcarenites. These are ‘sedimentary’ rocks formed by deposition of organic ...
Testudo hermanni
This endangered species found along the northern cost of the Mediterranean is subject to national and international protection. It is mainly threatened ...
Falco naumanni
The lesser kestrel is a small migratory falcon that looks very much like the common kestrel. It nests throughout the Mediterranean area and Central Asia. ...
Carpinus orientalis
With its north-south extension, complex orography and position as a trans-Mediterranean bridge, Italy constitutes a frontier land for plants and wildlife. ...
Campanula versicolor
Bellflowers are often thought of as a symbol of hope and perseverance, which is very fitting in the present case. This herbaceous plant, found all over ...