Parco del Delta del Po

• Trail Conditions: On foot
• Interest: Flora, Wildlife, Bird Watching

From the valley to the reserve
From State Route Romea, south of the Reno river, turn west to reach the towns of Mandriole and S.Alberto. From there, on the Reno riverbanks (the ancient Po di Primaro), you can rent bikes and canoes and take a small ferry to the opposite bank, in valle Furlana, which is in the southern portion of Valli di Comacchio: a protected area where herons, little egrets, shelducks and spoonbills live and nest. To the east you can admire the peninsula of Boscoforte and visit the Comacchio valleys on a ten-kilometre long trail. To the west the riverbank runs along the wide valleys: the nature reserve of Alfonsine is worth visiting, as a habitat rich in ponds and copses.

Pinewood reflections
From State Route Romea take via Fossatone and enter the centuries-old Pineta S. Vitale, and go on to a wide clearing where you will find Cà Vecchia, a Park's environmental learning centre (0544 446866). This is the point of departure of a trail that leads (on foot or by bike) to the little church of Madonna del Pino, to the small bridges across the Fossatone canal, to low areas where you can observe herons, coots, ducks, and finally to Pialassa della Baiona, a brackish lagoon where many fish and birds live (it can be crossed on a long embankment). Valle Baiona can be reached from Via delle Valli (Prato Barenicolo area) and from Porto Corsini and Marina Romea as well.

Green oasis
State Route Romea leads to the flooded forest of Punte Alberete, by the Fossatone Canal. You can visit the oasis starting from the large parking lot by the road (preferably accompanied by an ARCA guide - tel. 0544 465019). The visit takes two hours; convenient watching posts make it possible to admire herons, pygmy cormorants, Squacco herons, ferruginous ducks. Slightly north of Punte Alberete a turret offers an excellent view over Valle Mandriole: a paradise for nature photographers and birdwatchers, as all European herons nest there.