Overview
About ten kilometres north of Ravenna, the Punte Alberete oasis is a wetland of about 190 hectares, bordered on the eastern side by the Lamone river and on the western side by the San Vitale pine forest. Its uniqueness lies in a forest (made up of poplars, oaks, elms, willows, alders and ash trees) the soil of which is in part eternally wet: in fact, the Punte Alberete forest is one of the rare flooded forests (in scientific terms "hygrophilous forest") in Italy and southern Europe. The reasons for this are both historical (the Lamone river, which did not flow into the sea, once stagnated here) and morphological (the alternation of small rises, known as staggi, and low areas where the water is channelled). The area was once used as a source of water for Ravenna's water supply; it was "rescued" from land reclamation in the 1960s thanks to the efforts of a group of local people.
The Punte Alberete forest not only represents a valuable environment protected by the Emilia Romagna Po Delta Regional Park, but also hosts a rich biodiversity: in particular, it is an important breeding habitat for herons and cormorants, which form extensive heronries of thousands of pairs, among the largest in Italy. It can be explored by following an easy, free-access path, which loops around 5 km between large fallen trees, water holes, reed beds, flooded groves, and ponds frequented by ducks and marsh tortoises. Birdwatchers will find uncommon species here (ferruginous duck, tufted warbler, bittern), but the enchanting landscape will amaze even the least enthusiastic visitor.
