La Grotta Monello integral nature reserve is a protected natural area located in the municipality of Syracuse and was established in 1998 by the Territory and Environment Department of the Sicilian Region and entrusted to the management of CUTGANA (Interfaculty Center of the University of Catania). It has an area of ​​about 60 hectares and is located in the eastern sector of the Hyblean plateau.

The reserve was established with the aim of protecting the exceptional development of stalactites and stalagmites and the rich cave fauna with important troglobal endemisms belonging to Isopods and Diplopods identified inside the Monello cave. The boundaries of the reserve coincide with those of the SIC "Grotta Monello" (code ITA090011) and include, in addition to the aforementioned cave which constitutes the reserve zone A, the surface area of ​​the same, extending westwards up to the valley of the Moscasanti stream and the adjacent disused stone quarry, to the north up to the Spinagallo road, to the south up to the Perciata I or Conzo cave, while to the east it includes various agricultural lands. The surface area constitutes the reserve zone B.