WWF Natural Oasis of Orbetello

The WWF Natural Oasis of Orbetello

The Orbetello Lagoon Oasis finds its beginning in 1971, following the extraordinary discovery of a small nesting colony of black-winged stilts by Fulco Pratesi and Hardy Reichelt a few years earlier. This discovery was astonishing due to the presence of the species, which was considered extinct in our country already at the beginning of the last century.
The area occupied by the Oasis, including the Nature Reserve and the closed bottom, covers 1,000 hectares and is encompassed within the broader regional nature reserve.

Environment, Fauna, and Flora

Environment

Orbetello offers the charm that only wetlands can provide. These areas have always inspired painters, writers, and poets, and visiting them means entering into the deepest and most ancestral relationship we have with the natural environment. Breathing the air rich in intense scents, observing the landscape with the slanting light, and listening to the sounds that capture the mind of those who live there every day, constantly marveling, one can experience a feeling of particular well-being.

Fauna and Flora

Visiting the Orbetello Lagoon Oasis allows you to observe up close thousands of bird species, including herons, cranes, flamingos, waders, avocets, ducks, geese, raptors, and many passerines.
Among the coastal wetlands, Orbetello represents one of the most significant Italian lagoons, where you can have the opportunity to witness unforgettable scenes daily, such as: the flights of colorful ducks disturbed by the presence of a marsh harrier, the silvery passages skimming over the marshes of black-tailed godwits, the pink and fuchsia flights of flamingos, the bisyllabic song of the avocets, but also groups of noisy geese gathering in the evening before sleeping in the most sheltered part of the lagoon.
You can also observe the change in color of the reed beds and the water as the warm winter lights vary, how the first rummies peek out, still low, on the cold and damp ground, and how the salt marshes color the meadows red. In Orbetello, you can also observe a beautiful pair of ospreys nesting atop a specially constructed artificial tower, as well as a colony of common terns, unique on the Tyrrhenian coast.

Opening Hours

The Orbetello Oasis is normally open from September 1st to May 1st. In special circumstances, the Oasis may be closed for various reasons. It is therefore advisable to always contact the headquarters before planning a visit.

Visits are free, starting from Loc. Ceriolo, on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. Closing at 3:30 pm. For guided tours (groups and school groups), it is necessary to arrange in advance.

In the months of July and August, it is still possible to visit the Oasis, but only by reservation, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, at 5:30 pm.

For more information: wwf.it