Hunting itineraries: On the sixth day God did his work, happy to have created it so beautiful he took the earth in his hands and kissed it. There where he placed his lips is Sicily. (Renzino Barbera). There are realities in our country that you don't even expect and discovering them gives you enormous pleasure. This is the case of a Sicilian agro-hunting company, one of those where the adjective excellent is almost an understatement. Let's get to know Stefano Saporito's estate in the province of Trapani.
Di Federico Cusimano
That magical corner of Sicily: the hunting itinerary we propose has the enormous advantage that it can be easily extended to the whole family. In fact, we are not talking about going to some pleasant and remote place in the middle of the mountains, where the first trace of civilization can be found within hours by car, as it often happens to us hunters. In this case, if you want an unforgettable hunt in a perfect environment and at the same time you want to please your wife, partner or the whole family, you have found the right place. We are talking about an enchanting corner of Sicily where art, culture, landscapes, sun and sea come together. So while the family goes for a tour of the temples and necropolis of Magna Graecia (Segesta and Selinunte) or a nice trip to Erice, we hunters can dedicate ourselves to our passion to the Holy Trinity. Enchanting place in the province of Trapani, precisely in Castelvetrano.
La SS Trinità is a wildlife hunting company owned by Stefano Saporito who has devoted his entire life to hunting, radically transforming the family business from agricultural to agro-hunting. Olive groves and vineyards have given way to wild olive trees and woods, the plains destined for cereals have been invaded by marshes forming the meadows destined to host snipe and waders. Four or five ponds on the estate are the perfect places to meet ducks of all species. In short, Stephen recreated the original territory, just as it must have appeared hundreds of years ago, when Frederick II of Swabia, King of Sicily and Jerusalem, the Emperor of the Romans, King of Italy and Germany, frequented these places to devote himself to his most great passion, hunting. The emperor was a man of science and action, of great culture and strong temperament, the first scientific treatise in the history of man who deals with hunting is due to him: “De Arte Venandi Cum Avibus”.
But returning to our days, this beautiful company hosts, in addition to the typical Sicilian game, also all the major Italian ungulates, which in the past were present on the island but have now disappeared for too long. It was therefore only the love for hunting that pushed Stefano Saporito and his son Giulio to reproduce the ideal environment to host deer, fallow deer, wild boar, mouflon and even splendid specimens of goats of Montecristo. Moreover, the richness of the land and I believe the presence of particular mineral salts have favored the development of specimens of extraordinary beauty with exceptional trophies.
The Holy Trinity in particular hosts a colony of mouflons with rams among the most beautiful I have ever seen and hunted.
But let's get to know this fascinating animal a little better: the mouflon it was introduced in the center of the Mediterranean in the Neolithic period from Asia Minor where it originally came from. It represents the only example of wild sheep currently present on the European territory. Very rustic and frugal animal, able to adapt well even to not very hospitable environments. Almost extinct over the centuries, some populations have remained, occupying only a few areas in the territories of Sardinia and Corsica, from which the founders who now populate all of Europe were taken.
In Sicily the mouflon has been present since ancient times, Frederick II himself mentions it in his works, subsequently it has completely disappeared from Sicily. Reintroduced on the island of Levanzo some garments have been taken that have given life to the very rich and truly beautiful population present in the SS. Trinity. As for hunting, in Sicily the mouflon, like all ungulates, except wild boar, can only be hunted in agro-hunting farms as a collection of alternative meats, this is because the current law does not allow a normal hunting collection, but thinking about it does not even prohibit hunting, well, our legislators have simply forgotten that ungulates exist in Sicily and therefore have not foreseen anything. Of course, they did not even provide for the possibility of inserting or removing from huntable species those that over time appear to be suffering or in excess. In short, we must be proud of such distinguished jurists!
The company takes its name from the famous chapel located inside the estate. It is a medieval Arab Norman church of the Holy Trinity of Delia, commissioned together with other churches that show the same structure in Palermo and Mazzara, directly by the Norman kings to enhance their power. The building completely renovated by the architect Patricolo at the behest of the Saporito family in 1880 has a central Greek cross plan that insists on a square and a hemispherical dome in red color, the side entrance doors strictly reserved for men while the central one is intended to women, in full respect of the Greek rite. In short, in this corner of Sicily between tradition, culture and nature you can really breathe a good air.
My hunting experience at the inter company SSTrinità is unfortunately not too positive. I would like to clarify that it was one of my first experiences within a wildlife hunting company.
Despite having booked in January well in advance of the first opening in September, knowing that this should have influenced the assignment of the best seats as promised by the manager, at the end of the experience I must say that these promises have been disregarded, obviously giving precedence to the usual friends ...
While I and my group we were accompanied to a peripheral area of the reserve that was not suitable for the passage of the wood pigeon (day dedicated to wood pigeon hunting) and to how much abandoned since early morning without any kind of indication.
In conclusion, I was able to notice my own dissatisfaction in other groups that shared what I expressed, little seriousness in the organization engaged only in its own economic interest.