Pantani della Sicilia sud orientale, Nature reserve in Province of Syracuse, Italy

The Pantani della Sicilia sud orientale is a protected wetland in southeastern Sicily composed of freshwater lakes, brackish lagoons, and salt marshes. The area spans around 1,600 hectares and forms a patchwork of open water, reed beds, and low vegetation.

Slow land uplift and sea-level shifts at the end of the 18th century built a long dune belt that cut the inner bay off from the open sea, and the former bay turned into freshwater lagoons and marshes. Between 1910 and 1942 most Sicilian wetlands were drained for farmland; the western part of today's reserve then held 16 wetlands covering over 4 km². Further drainage in 1950–1960 left only Pantano Cuba, Pantano Longarini and Pantano Bruno.

The name pantani refers to the freshwater marshes behind the dunes. Around 1970 the owner of Pantano Longarini built a mullet farm, with a canal system about 1 km long and up to 12 m wide, linked to the sea by a 200 m channel; silting made it uneconomical and it closed. The Consorzio Pomodoro di Pachino IGP successfully challenged the 2011 reserve in court, and the regional court annulled it in 2015.

The best time to visit is during bird migration in autumn and spring when variety is greatest. Trails lead to observation points near the Pantano Cuba and Pantano Longarini lagoons, where binoculars are helpful.

The site hosts over 240 bird species, including migratory birds from Africa that stop here to rest. At the same time, rare plants like Limonium pachynense grow here, found in only a few areas of southern Italy.