In almost all the mosaics of Ravenna are representations of numerous species of animals, plants and landscapes that are typical of the surroundings. Today, it is still possible to admire from up close the incredible biodiversity of the territory of Ravenna, which – a few kilometres away from the historical centre – can make you lose yourselves in unexpected scenarios.
From the Lagoons of Comacchio and the Pine forest of San Vitale north of the city, until the wild area of the mouth of the Bevano river in the south, there are many observation points from which you can enjoy an unforgettable birdwatching experience in the Po Delta Park.
The Lagoons of Comacchio, whose southern part belongs to the territory of Ravenna, are one of Italy’s birdwatching heavens. Wetland of international relevance and site of community importance, they feature an impressive variety of landscapes, animal and plant species that can be observed in tranquillity all year round.
On foot, by bike, on your own or accompanied by expert environmental guides, these banks offer unique and interesting experiences, just a few kilometres away from Ravenna.
The ideal starting point for the discovery of this area can be the NatuRa Museum in Sant’Alberto, periodically organising guided tours and hosting a stunning collection of magnificently exhibited animals. Among these are ruffs, Eurasian spoonbills – nesting only in the nearby Oasis of Punte Alberete – or Eurasian wigeons, coming here to winter, besides the many birds of prey, reptiles and mammals living far away from humans.
Leave the pretty town of Sant’Alberto, ford the Reno river with the characteristic electric ferryboat and get to the southern shore of the Lagoons of Comacchio.
Continuing counter clockwise, thus heading east and towards the sea, and you will soon encounter the Peninsula of Boscoforte, a strip of land of over 6 km delving into the brackish water like a natural boardwalk.
The peninsula, accessible only with special guided tours, is always visible from the raised embankment, offering a stunning view on all the lagoons, as far as the saltpans.
The most special encounter in this natural paradise is surely the one with Camargue-Delta horses, grazing in the wilderness in small herds in search of reeds, Salicornia and rushes to eat. Furthermore, the oasis is home to many species of birds – particularly worth a mention are Italy’s greatest colony of pink flamingos and Italy’s only colony of Eurasian spoonbills.
If you continue beyond Valle Furlana and Volta Scirocco, you will get to the starting point of Argine degli Angeli. Inaugurated a few months ago, this extraordinary natural path allows visitors to plunge into the lagoons and immerse themselves in a unique landscape. The name of the path is inspired by an ancient bank where great birds with majestic white wings used to nest.
To be covered on foot or by bike, this path of about 5 km will make you feel as if you were floating on the water, while you admire the wonderful landscape populated by pink flamingos, common shelducks, black-winged stilts, avocets, Eurasian spoonbills and many other species such as the rare and protected European pond turtle.
The Pine forest of San Vitale has a thousand-year-old history, and is still preserved today as one of Italy’s last and most extensive examples of coastal pine forest. With more than a thousand hectares, it represents an unrivalled habitat, also thanks to its proximity to protected wetlands such as Pialassa Baiona.
Herons, coots, ducks and many other species live among privets, blackthorns and common hawthorns, which you can discover with an excursion – on foot or by bike – starting from Parco 2 Giugno or from one of the pinewood huts such as Ca’ Vecchia, environmental education centre of the park.
The word “pialassa”, particularly dear to the people of Ravenna, comes from the combination of two words: “piglia” (take) and “lascia” (let go), recalling the slow movement of tides that nourish these freshwaters and make them brackish.
This small lagoon of more than a thousand hectares stretches between Ravenna and Marina Romea, preventing the seawater from invading the Pine forest of San Vitale behind it. Mainly made up of artificial canals, it is a system of emerged and submerged surfaces populated by animal and plant species of extraordinary beauty, typical of shallow salt waters.
Accessible on foot, by bike or boat – from the docks behind the towns of Porto Corsini and Marina Romea, it features high levels of biodiversity and is a protected area of international interest. Mute swans, pygmy cormorants, ibises, little bitterns, squacco herons, herons, western marsh harriers and some rare species as whiskered terns and Kentish plovers come here to nest.
An observation tower, standing out over the plain near the SS 309 state road, guards and works as an ideal access point to the so-called Valle della Canna in Mandriole.
This wetland, originated about two centuries ago and voluntarily not included in the various reclamation works of the coastline, is periodically subject to drainings and floods fostering the development of vegetation and aquatic life. It is not easy to visit it on foot, but from the top of the tower it is possible to enjoy the view of an almost primordial landscape, populated by grey and purple herons, great egrets, swans, black-crowned night herons, little egrets, squacco herons, Eurasian spoonbills, pygmy cormorants and turtles.
Another observation tower is located about 2 km away from the first one, on the opposite side of the lagoon, near Ca’ del Chiavichino, also reachable from the Tenuta Augusta holiday farm.
Small flooded forest surrounded by an ancestral atmosphere, the Oasis of Punte Alberete is not only an incredible area from a naturalistic point of view, but it is also one of the most important sites for landscape conservation at a national level and not only. Already at the end of the ‘70s, thanks to the commitment and foresight of some local activists, it was saved from reclamation works as one of the last still existent environments of its kind in Europe.
The continuous care and monitoring of the area allowed the forest to resist, thus fostering the presence of many species – many of which are protected – that find shelter among centuries-year-old fallen trees, rushes and lilies. A system of hygrophilous wood, submerged grasslands and open spaces that is unparalleled in Italy.
Along the 5-km loop trail, you can observe ferruginous ducks, red herons, black-crowned night herons, great and little bitterns, ibises, glossy ibises, pygmy cormorants, mallards and squacco herons.
An observation hut, located halfway through the path, allows visitors to station under cover while they wait for common kingfishers to hunt or great crested grebes to court, from the end of February and March.
So close yet so different from the other important pine forest of Ravenna, the one of San Vitale, the Pine forest of Classe has a centuries-old history and features a fascinating series of scenarios.
Cared for and preserved by the Camaldolese monks and mentioned by Dante in his Comedy, it once occupied a much larger territory, which was then reduced due to human exploitation.
The pine forest has been protected since the beginning of the 20th century by laws proposed by senator Luigi Rava and is now part of the Po Delta Park. It is undoubtedly one of the most beloved sights for people of Ravenna and tourists.
A destination for excursions and itineraries in nature, a meeting place for days in the open air dedicated to physical activity and birdwatching, the Pine forest of Classe is a natural monument to be explored in every season.
Starting from Parco 1° Maggio and continuing along the Fosso Ghiaia canal, after about 2 km the pine forest stops and makes way for coastal wetlands. The first one on the way is Ortazzo, an ancient freshwater paddy that has become a brackish body of water hosting salicornia, junipers and sea-buckthorns. West and north of Ortazzo are two observation towers, perfect for birdwatching and nature photography.
Just before the junction between the Bevano river and the Fosso Ghiaia canal is Ortazzino, partly made up of fossil meanders and partly of an alternation of wet and dry meadows hosting almost all kinds of vegetation of the southern Mediterranean and of the northern Adriatic.
The area is perfect for the observation of pink flamingos, various kinds of herons and charadriformes coming here to nest, such as black-winged stilts, avocets, gull-billed terns and Mediterranean gulls.
The Mouth of the Bevano river, rare example of a naturally and freely evolving meandering estuary, is a time machine taking visitors to an incredible and exciting scenario. Forty hectares of changeable sands and muds, five kilometres of active and partially moving dunes, lacking signs of human intervention for more than 300 metres of width down to the sea, this area is populated mainly by psammophile plants – namely plants preferring sandy areas – black-bog rushes, salicornia, salt grass and reeds.
Rare birds such as Kentish plovers and Eurasian oystercatchers have chosen this stretch of coastline as their breeding place, one of the last still existing ones at a national level.
The access to the final part of the path leading to the mouth of the Bevano river is limited. It is usually not allowed in spring, sometimes until mid-summer, according to the nesting period of some protected species.
