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The most fascinating coastal lakes in Italy
Among the gems of our peninsula are the basins formed through the deposition of suspended material in marine waters, parallel to the coastline, which can give rise to long sandy tongues. These coastal formations generate ponds, lagoons, and coastal lakes composed of brackish water, environments almost balanced between land and sea. Their complex nature gives these habitats significant naturalistic and landscape value, and yet only species with specific physiological adaptations can survive. Let's discover some of the most fascinating coastal lakes in Italy.
The largest coastal lake in Italy is in Puglia
A brackish water body of about 60 square kilometers, with a depth of 5.5 meters, the Lake Varano is the largest coastal basin in our country. Among the most famous in Puglia, along with Lake Lesina, it is a gem of Gargano worth visiting. Although traditionally called 'lake', it is actually a lagoon carved into limestone, fed by about 240 underground springs and those from the nearby mountains, and separated from the Adriatic Sea by a stretch of land only a kilometer long, known as 'Isola di Varano', covered with pines, eucalyptus, and other plants.
The lagoon communicates with the sea through two channels: the mouth of Varano, to the east, and the mouth of Capojale to the west. Nestled between the promontory of Monte Devio and the tip of Rodi Garganico, thanks to the water exchanges with the sea, it boasts a significant variety of fish that head into these waters to spawn. According to writings by Pliny the Elder, in the 1st century AD Lake Varano and Lake Lesina, further west, were natural gulfs that served as a landing place for the Crusaders heading to Jerusalem. Today, the beauty of the landscape surrounding the lagoons makes them much sought after by those who love kayaking, canoeing, or exhilarating boat rides.
The coastal lakes of the Circeo National Park
The coastal area of the Circeo National Park hosts four lakes of great natural importance. They are separated from the sea by strips of land and their current configuration was reshaped during the reclamation of the Pontine marshes. Due to their characteristics, they are classified as wetlands of international importance.
- Lake Fogliano, located in an area that has been inhabited since prehistoric times, reached its peak in the 18th century when the Caetani family built a small fishing village around their hunting lodge and Villa Fogliano, stunning constructions still visitable today. The area is also enriched by a splendid botanical garden and serves as a resting place for many migrant species.
- Lake Paola (also known as Lake Sabaudia) is larger, extending between land and sea in long jagged arms that form incredibly charming inlets. Like Lake Fogliano, there are also traces of human habitation dating back to prehistoric times. An interesting site to visit on its shores is the Soresca Sanctuary, built by Benedictine monks between the 12th and 14th centuries.
- The Monks' Lakes and Caprolace Lake are much smaller and lesser-known, their landscapes are wilder and more pristine, but equally rich in animal and plant species. Here, birdwatching is also possible, and there are walks that offer picturesque views.
From Tuscany to Sicily, discovering unique habitats
In Tuscany, in the province of Lucca, with the southern edge belonging to the province of Pisa, near the homonymous district of Massarosa, lies the coastal Lake Massaciuccoli, which along with the surrounding marsh area is part of the Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli Natural Park and a LIPU oasis, due to the numerous bird species present.
Further south, we find the Orbetello Lagoon, in the Grosseto Maremma, a natural paradise that attracts many visitors in every season, a protected area managed by the World Wildlife Fund, mostly covered by Mediterranean maquis, dominated by Monte Argentario. In the municipality of Capalbio, we find Lake Burano, a brackish coastal lagoon separated from the Tyrrhenian Sea by a narrow strip of dunes, which constitutes one of the best-preserved coastal stretches in the region.
In Campania, Lake Fusaro is the second largest lake in the Phlegraean Fields, after Lake Patria. The fish farms of the lake, located in Bacoli, are mentioned in Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo", when the Count serves a lamprey from these waters at his home in Auteuil. Among its attractions is the Casina Vanvitelliana, a splendid late Baroque architectural gem, built in 1782 by architect Carlo Vanvitelli, son of the famous Luigi (creator of the Royal Palace of Caserta) on commission from Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. The residence occupies a small land emergence within the lake and was used as a resting place after the king's hunting and fishing trips.
The Biviere di Gela is, instead, the largest coastal lake in Sicily. In 1997, the Biviere di Gela Nature Reserve was established, one of the most important migration and resting areas for waterfowl that spend the long winter here before returning to Northern Europe.
Valli di Comacchio, between natural heritage and historical importance
Similar in characteristics to the coastal lakes are the large basins modified by humans for fishing. Among these, the renowned Valli di Comacchio in Emilia-Romagna stand out, separated from the sea by a sandy cordon a couple of kilometers wide, along which the Romea State Road and the Reno River run parallel. The site includes what remains of the vast brackish valleys that characterized the southeastern part of the province of Ferrara up until a century ago, and still today constitutes the most extensive complex of brackish wetlands in the region and one of the most important in Southern Europe.
Included in the Regional Park of the Po Delta, the "Valli di Comacchio" and "Historic Center of Comacchio" stations, the valley area is classified as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and preserves, in addition to a great natural heritage, also valuable historical-cultural testimonies linked to the Etruscan port of Spina and the presence of numerous casoni and fishing workers' houses, grandeur settlements and adaptations of canals and water bodies for the capture and breeding of fish - particularly eels - of which Comacchio still remembers its historic processing, preserved and passed down at the Museum of Marinati.