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This Regional Natural Park was established in 2007 and is one of the most interesting and precious areas of Salento, mainly thanks to its naturalistic, historical and landscape value.

Its history dates back to the early Middle Ages. The decadent Western Roman Empire was giving way to frequent pirate raids, which pushed the populations inland. The natural consequence was the total abandonment of the coastal settlements and the dramatic development of marshes.

The park covers about 3.954 acres and features several basins created from the 1930s and onward to reclaim the extensive marshland on this stretch of coast.

THE ENVIRONMENTS

The park includes a remarkable range of different natural environments: Mediterranean tapeweed meadows (Posidonia oceanica), coastal lagoons, flooded pastures, salt steppes, coastal dunes with juniper, pine forests, limestone cliffs, and holm oak forests (Quercus ilex).

From the sea towards the interior, visitors can come across the strip of sandy and rocky coastline, the humid areas behind the dunes, the marshes and wooded areas, as well as the Mediterranean scrub and the centuries-old olive groves.

The coastline is made of very fine sand, brought here by the wind and fragments of small shells with their much sought-after white colour.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)