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Itineraries
The slight urbanisation of the plains and coastal areas, and the on-
going abandonment of agricultural practices give rise to several win-
ter-annual weedy and ruderal communities linked to man-made and
nutrient-rich soils in suburban coastal areas (CHENOPODION MU-
RALIS, MESEMBRYATHEMION CRYSTALLINI and HORDEION
MURINI). To ECHIO-GALACTITION TOMENTOSAE should be
ascribed the tall-herb ruderal vegetation occurring on calcareous
nutrient-rich soils typical to abandoned crop fields and to fallows
subject to frequent wildfires.
The plant communities of GERANIO PURPUREI-CARDAMINE-
TALIA HIRSUTAE are linked to more mesic conditions due to tree ca-
nopy shade. Olive and abandoned manna-ash groves are characterised
by a nitro-sciaphilous geophyte-rich fringe community called Acantho
mollis-Smyrnietum olusatri (ALLION TRIQUETRI). The alliance VA-
LANTIO MURALIS-GALION MURALIS, including all the (sub)nitro-
sciaphilous winter-annual wall (Parietario lusitanicae-Veronicetum cym-
balariae) or fringe communities of the central-eastern Mediterranean,
occurs underneath garrigues (Valantio murali-Polycarpetum alsinifolii in
NW Sicily, Sedetum litoreo-stellati on Egadi islands) or even underneath
open woodlands (Laguro vestiti-Erodietum maritimi at Marettimo).
The local annual nitrophilous assemblages typical to trampled
areas belong to Euphorbio chamaesyci-Oxalidetum corniculatae, Polycar-
po tetraphylli-Spergularietum rubrae and Trisetario aureae-Crepidetum
bursifoliae (POLYGONO-POËTEA, POLYCARPION TETRAPHYLLI).
The overgrazed pastures host some (sub)xerophilous and hyper-
nitrophilous ruderal communities dominated by perennial herbs
(mostly thistles) referred to the order CARTHAMETALIA LANATI,
like Glaucio flavi-Onopordetum horridi.
The suburban area and the numerous abandoned stone quarries
of Favignana are colonized by nitrophilous pioneer assemblages re-
ferred to the NICOTIANO GLAUCAE-RICINION COMMUNIS, do-
minated by many fast-growing alien thermo-cosmopolitan invasive
species such as Arundo donax and Nicotiana glauca.

2.3. Landscape and land use history
The famous upper Palaeolithic paintings of the caves of Egadi islands
(see box 2.2) testify at least 12,000 years of human presence and land use
in the area. The sites of Uzzo, Isolidda, etc., on the NW coasts of the main

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