Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve: Castiglione della Pescaia's hidden Eden
Take your time to enjoy contact with
its splendid, unpolluted nature. The Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve is a
protected wetland with a history, nature and landscape of exceptional value
that lies between Castiglione della Pescaia and Grosseto.
It is an area of international
interest (according to the 1971 Ramsar Convention), where numerous species of
birds overwinter, roost and nest. It stretches across 1,273 hectares and over
200 species of birds have been recorded within the Reserve as they
alternate throughout the year. We can admire peregrine falcons, ospreys,
herons, harriers, egrets, the great spotted cuckoo, kites and the
extraordinarily beautiful pink flamingos. Also living in the Reserve are
turtles, grass snakes, nutria, hedgehogs, foxes, porcupines and badgers,
whereas crustaceans and sea bass mingle in the water with eels and pike.
The protected area was created in
1996: it is what remains of the ancient Lake Prile - Lake Preglio - on which
the Romans once sailed. Cicero mentions it during his speech in defence of his
friend Milo. It is an enormous lake basin which used to almost cover this
immense area in past centuries. An extensive pine forest surrounds the marsh
and marks the coastline from Castiglione della Pescaia as far as Grosseto
Marina.
We definitely recommend you visit this truly ecological paradise of biodiversity and sustainable tourism
in the Maremma!
Why you should visit the Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve
As you enter this Tuscan Eden, you'll
find yourself immersed in a fascinating place surrounded by bird life. You can go around on foot, by bike or by
boat with an organised tour.
May we make a suggestion? Get a pair
of binoculars and a camera or a Smartphone. You'll come across many unusual or even
rare birds!
Diaccia Botrona is also a land of tales
and legends that the local guides love to tell visitors. Evidence of the Romans
and the mediaeval remains of the Abbey of San Pancrazio al Fango can be found
in the heart of the nature reserve, on the Island of Clodia to be precise. Just
outside the town of Castiglione della Pescaia in the far western part of
Diaccia Botrona stands the distinctive Casa Ximenes or Red House, which
Leonardo Ximenes built in the eighteenth century to begin work to reclaim the entire
area.
Information to visit Diaccia Botrona > clicca qui
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