Description
Beyond the “fosa” to the west of Grado begins the Banco d’Orio sandbank, which is here called “tratauri” by fishermen which fish here using the “trata” system. Man has intervened here through the construction of breakwaters to stabilise the mouth of the port; these stone embankments then continue westward forming, like the Venetian sea walls, a separation between sea and lagoon. Between Grado and Porto Buso, there are only two openings allowing the passage of water and boats between the inner lagoon, the mudflats and the sea embankments and on to the open sea. The Litoranea Veneta runs parallel to the embankments to the island of S. Pietro d’Orio, while to the right there is the Ravaierina fish pool or “valle” and Isola degli Orbi. The landscape is typical of the lagoon of Grado: islets with “casoni” or huts, tidal flats and plains, fish pools that are “invisible” because of the low levees surrounding them and separating them from areas subject to tide. Only the sluice gates or “ciaveghe” connect the area of water in the valle with the lagoon and the sea, if opened by the valle warden.
Vegetation
Frequent in the sea and in lagoons, and like dwarf eelgrass forms extensive fields which are very important for fish and waterfowl.
A halophyte species whose yellow flowers colour the summer landscape of the lagoon sandbanks.
A halophyte (salt-tolerant) species not present in salt marshes but on rocky coasts and harbour works such as jetties and embankments, even in...
A halophyte species, it forms populations in salt marshes and in the areas used to trap fish in the presence of moderate salinity. Widespread in...
A halophyte species that is very common on the sandbanks of the Grado lagoon.
A halophyte species forming extensive spreads on sandbanks and very noticeable during the summer flowering.
A halophyte species found on sandbanks and on the reclaimed land of Lisert where it covers extensive areas.
A halophyte species that shows itself most during its summer flowering.
Another halophyte species, this is the first terrestrial plant to colonise the highest tidal flats, enduring long submersion.
A shrub and small tree, it is resistant to drought and salty soils as mentioned by D’Annunzio in the poem “la pioggia nel...
Frequent in the sea at a depth of less than 5 metres and in lagoons, especially where there are fresh water inlets. It colonises tidal flats,...
Traditions
These were fishermen who used the trata, a trawl net some 100-150 m long and 5 m high, with floats on the upper side and lead weights on the...
On the islets, the “mote”, which still bear the ancient names from Grado, the fishermen lived in huts of marsh reeds. Now few live...
Habitats
Areas normally above the water in a lagoon are called barene or salt marshes and are characterised by halophilic vegetation typical of...
In the last century, vast areas of the lagoons and surrounding marshes were drained to obtain new agricultural, industrial and urban land. To...
The lagoon system of FVG extends between the mouth of the Isonzo and that of the Tagliamento. Compared to its “big sister”, the...
One of the largest and most vital underwater meadows of the Gulf lies in front of the mouths of the Isonzo. These are plants with ribbon-like...
The areas regularly submerged by the high tide that are revealed when the sea retreats are called the tidal flats. In Friuli Venezia Giulia, these...
The hunting of waterfowl often takes place alongside fishing and is exercised from the hides (botti) that are buried in small islets almost flush...
Birds
85-100 cm, sexes similar. White plumage, yellow beak which becomes black in the breeding season. Present throughout the year, it does not, however,...
84-102 cm, sexes similar. All year round, nesting in colonies in lagoon groves and other wooded areas inland. Nesting has been noted since 1999. Very...
45-55 cm, marked dimorphism, the male is grey with black wing tips, the female brown, and both have a white rump. Present during migration and...
37-43 cm, sexes similar, light grey upperparts, white in the lower parts, with a black cap and a tuft on the head, the beak black with light-coloured...
48-57 cm, sexes similar. Brownish with a long curved beak. Present throughout the year but does not nest. Forms flocks during high tide on sandbars...
37-45 cm, sexes similar. Brownish with curved beak, shorter than the curlew, and with characteristic dark streaks on the head. Present during...
140-160 cm, white, grey in juveniles, tubercle at the base of the beak, most evident in males. Present throughout the year, numerous at river mouths...
51-62 cm, an elegant duck with long neck and, in the male, long central tail feathers. A wintering species, it frequents tidal flats, the restored...
38-43 cm sexes similar, grey with white wing bands. Present throughout the year, it commonly nests in the groves of the lagoon islands and in...
77-94 cm, sexes similar. Like pelicans and boobies, they have the 4 fingers joined by a membrane to facilitate swimming. The species is present...
15-16 cm, the male with grey head and white throat in the cinerocapilla subspecies, yellow belly, long tail with white outer feathers. During...
43-55 cm, marked dimorphism, with the male more colourful while the female is dark with pale-yellow head and shoulders. Present throughout the year,...
42-50 cm, the male with a characteristic white spot on the wing coverts. A very numerous wintering species from September to March, some individuals...
35-39 cm, sexes similar. In February, it gains the dark brown cap for the breeding season, which it then loses in July-August. Present throughout the...
37-40 cm, sexes similar. Compared to the black-headed gull, the beak is more massive and coral-red, it has a black head – during nesting – and...
52-58 cm, sexes similar. Grey upperparts, white lower parts. Present throughout the year and abundant, nesting in the lagoon, on the roofs of houses...
55-65 cm, sexes similar. White plumage with long feathers on the neck and back during the breeding season. Present throughout the year round, nesting...
40-46 cm, sexes similar. It is smaller than the black-headed gull. Present from November to April, numerous in some winters, it frequents the sea,...
50-60 cm. With marked dimorphism, this is the ancestor of the domestic duck. Present throughout the year, it is very adaptable, frequenting both...
68-78 cm, sexes similar. It has a short tuft that appears in adults in winter and early spring. Present throughout the year, it becomes rare in...
17-19 cm, sexes similar. Blue upperparts, red underparts with large, dark beak dark and very short tail, which in flight makes it resemble a...
30-34 cm, sexes similar. Grey above, whitish beneath, slightly upturned and relatively large beak. Present throughout the year, scarce from mid-May...
24-27 cm, sexes similar. Grey-brown uppers, lighter beneath with evident white bar on the wings, darker in breeding season; red beak and legs....
17-21 cm, sexes similar. Characteristic black belly and rufous uppers, grey in winter. It is the most numerous wader during wintering and forms large...
18 to 20.5 cm light brown uppers. white on the lower parts. The wings have a narrow light-coloured bar and are often blocked briefly in flight....
26-29 cm, sexes similar. Grey plumage, black and white on the under parts during the breeding season. Grey in winter with characteristic black...
48-56 cm, sexes similar, plumage varies widely, generally brown with light patches. Present all year round, most numerous even in the largest lagoon...
17-21 cm, sexes similar. Black upperparts, red throat and whitish belly. Present from March to April and from September to October, it nests in rural...
52-58 cm, the male with dark green head and white neck, the female with reddish head. Present during wintering, it is frequent during the spring...
34-37 cm, sexes similar. Light grey upperparts and white underparts, with black cap and red beak. It is the classic tern, frequent from April to...
63-75 cm, sexes similar. In winter the plumage is dark grey above, whitish underneath; the beak is more massive and held flat compared to the...
55-67 cm, sexes similar. In winter, the plumage is grey, and whitish underneath. Present in winter at sea and in the deepest areas of the lagoons....
46-51 cm, sexes similar. Grey upper part, whitish beneath, while in its nuptial plumage it reveals obvious tufts on the head and below the eyes....
28-34 cm, sexes similar. Grey and off-white in winter, in March it has a black neck and a yellow tuft behind a red eye. Present from August to April,...
29-33 cm, sexes similar. Plumage light beige with black collar. Present all year round, often associated with human settlements in cities, towns and...
23-29 cm, sexes similar, brown in winter, black with rufous cheeks in the breeding season. Present throughout the year, it nests in freshwater...
25-29 cm, sexes similar, orange plumage striped with black, erectile crest on the head, flickering flight. Present from April to September and fairly...
55-65 cm, white in appearance with a dark red beak with tubercle in the male. Present throughout the year, it frequents areas subject to tide and...
