COASTAL BOTANICAL

GARDEN OF
PORTO CALERI
Rosolina
Veneto
Italy
1. Description
of the
place /product
 Description
The Coastal Botanical Garden of
Porto Caleri also known as the
coastal botanical garden of Veneto,
was established on June 16, 1990. It
is a nature reserve inside the Veneto
Regional Park of Po Delta located in
Porto Caleri, the extreme edge of the
coast of Rosolina Mare.
2. The justification, why
the certain place/product
have been chosen for the
eco-path why it makes it
unique
In 2015 the Po Delta Park was recognized
as a reserve in the UNESCO’s Man and the
Biosphere Programme, (MAB) is an
Intergovernmental Scientific Programme
that aims to establish a scientific basis
for the improvement of relationships
between peoples and their environments. 
The Park’s commitment is keep on
working to safeguard and make know this
amazing ecosystem.
3. Educational
elements
 History
The first major transformers of the natural
landscape were the Romans who modified entire
areas of Europe and the upper Adriatic coast was
not excluded.
They actively used the replacement of primitive
forests with pine forests. In the Middle Ages these
coastal formations were modified during the
barbarian invasions ( fires etc ...) Later, during the
war of Chioggia (1378-1381), the Genoese
devastated the forests of the Venetian coast and
the hinterland, leading to a visible deforestation.
Precisely because of the deforestation of the hills
and the plains, the lagoon began to be filled with
earth.
To counteract this phenomenon the
Venetians carried out substantial hydraulic
works. With the cutting of Porto Viro (1598-
1604) began the emergence of the land that
today constitute the coastal strip,
nevertheless at the end of the nineteenth
century only a few flaps of wood remained.
Recently, in the first half of the 20th
century, as result of impressive works of
reclamation and reforestation, the woods
reconquered new surfaces.
The garden with surrounding areas has
been declared Site of Community
Importance (SIC).
 UPDATED INFO

The garden covers about 44

hectares and its aim is to
conserve a spontaneous natural
environment.
Unlike a normal botanical garden,
human interventions are limited to
the maintenance and securing of
the paths that allow the visit.
For this reason the undergrowth is not touched
thus allowing the natural decomposition that aids
the formation of the humus layer necessary for the
plants to feed.
It consists of thin strips of sandy dunes between
the mouth of the Adige and a branch of Po. It
contains vegetation of the liquefied sands and
brackish marshes, pine and elm woods.

Difficulty level of the visit: 1: it means no rising nor

elevation

Along the trail, ten boards provide information,

through text and models in relief, also in Braille.  
 4. All interesting
points of the path
 Interesting Flora
The presence of Sea Buckthorn 
– which has here its only station for the
Venetian coastland – is the most
peculiar floral element for this area,
but it is the richness of the totality of
this site, due to the variability and
diversity of the different habitats, which
strikes whoever wishes to deepen the
knowledge of the botany and ecology
of this area.
 Interesting Fauna
Two birds – Cirl Bunting (Emberiza
cirlus) and Sardinian Warbler 
(Sylvia melanocephala) – 
are the most outstanding presences
among the vertebrated fauna.
They nest in the shrubby band, in the
least disturbed areas.
Only a careful observer –but, most of
all, whoever is able to listen – will be
able to recognize, among the many
sounds of spring, the unique song of
these birds. 
 The Management and Protection of the
Coastland Habitats
Managing the littoral – according to a
modern and careful forest management
techniques – means finding formulas for
the co-exhistence and synergic co-creation
and development between the tourist
activities and the safeguard of nature. It is
a challenge that the tourist trade and the
local governments of today must rise up to,
if they want to be able to offer a reality
able to compete with other, more compe-
titive destinations, while guaranteeing
the protection of bio-diversity for future
generations.
 Dunes
• The Formation and Movement
of Dunes
• In order for dunes to form, two
fundamental components are
needed: sand and wind. But the
big difference between the
dunes of the sandy deserts and
those of the littoral is the
presence of vegetation.
The plant species that colonize
the coastline habitats in the
band of the so-called
"embryonic dunes" and "white
dunes" have developed
morphologic and physiologic
adaptations that allow them to
settle, thus resisting the
severe climatic conditions.
 Near the sea
The plants that thrive near the sea must
withstand the high percentage of salt in
the air, and they are therefore known as
‘alophyte’ (salt-lovers).
We then encounter the ‘barene’ (shoals)
— tabular islets, periodically submerged
by water during high tide, and covered by
a lush vegetation.
The ‘barene’ are furrowed by the ‘ghebi’
— small channels on whose bottom a rich
submerged flora can develop.
At the end of summer, the ‘barene’ are
characterized by the intense lilac-coloured
blossoms of Sea-Lavander (Limonium),
while the margins are almost entirely
occupied by succulent plants — such as
Marsh Samphire, amongst which can be
identified the small, annual Venice
Salicorne (Salicornia veneta).
This is yet another proof of the great
biodiversity contained within the Botanical
Garden of Porto Caleri —
a truly unique place.
5. The elements
that would be
created -
information boards,
exhibitions, etc.
Info for visits:
Ticket: Euro 2,50
Opening time: from April to October
Days and visiting times: on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
in April, May and from 19th September to October from 10.00 to
13.00 and from 15.00 to 18.00.
In June, July and August until 18th September from 10.00 to 13.00
and from 16.00 to 19.00.

Guided tours: at 10.30 and at 15.30 and 16.30 in the summer months

How to travel: by foot

For more info:www.parcodeltapo.org: il giardino botanico di porto caleri

www.parcodeltapo.org (EN)
www.magicoveneto.it: Giardino Botanico Litoraneo Porto Caleri
wikipedia: Giardino botanico litoraneo di Porto Caleri
Information and reservations for groups:
Ente Parco Regionale Veneto del Delta del Po
tel. +39 0426 372202 - +39 340 2308894
parcodeltapo@pecveneto.it
info@parcodeltapo.org

N.B. Do not forget your camera to capture the rare late-

spring blooms or the rugged bush and natural beach.

For more info:

http://www.parks.it/parco.delta.po.ve/Epun.php
www.parcodeltapo.org: il giardino botanico di porto caleri
www.deltapocard.it
www.magicoveneto.it: Giardino Botanico Litoraneo Porto Caleri
wikipedia: Giardino botanico