In the early centuries of the Roman Empire, when the current lagoon was dry land, there were three river communications between Grado and Aquileia,...

The town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Aquileia, founded in 181 bc, was one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the...

The course of the Natissa, both on land and in the lagoon, follows almost the same line as the ancient Natisone and is currently fed by the river...

This forms extensive reed beds, particularly at river mouths. It resists moderate salinity by reducing its size. It is used for trellises, locally...

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.

This North American species has spread widely in floodplains and along the coasts. It is an exotic, infesting species that greatly modifies the...

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.

It may be found along rivers, near springs and accompanying the minor waterways of wetlands and peaty terrain. It can form pure forests in...

A tree species common along the rivers and coasts especially on sandy soils. Offering a fine form, it is used to line boulevards and decorate...

Like the white poplar, it is common along rivers and coasts, but is less tied to sandy soils. A hybrid variety is grown in poplar groves for the...

A halophyte species found on sandbanks and on the reclaimed land of Lisert where it covers extensive areas.

A North American species common in cultivated areas and along rivers. Used for poles and firewood.

Frequent in many areas even away from water. Together with poplars, it is one of the main species in riparian forests and floodplains.

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,...

The lagoon area and surroundings are characterised by zones below mean sea level, which need the use of pumps to drain rainwater from the area...

On the islets, the “mote”, which still bear the ancient names from Grado, the fishermen lived in huts of marsh reeds. Now few live...

Aquileia is the eastern terminus of the Via Postumia. The location greatly favoured trade, thanks to the river port, the channeling works that...

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...

At the mouth of the Isonzo and in the lagoon of Marano there are large areas of delta with strips of riparian forest and large reed beds that give...

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...

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...

23-28 cm, sexes similar. With well-camouflaged streaked brown plumage, it has a long beak and a characteristic zig-zag flight. Present from July to...

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...

12.5-14 cm, light brown plumage with pale belly. Present from April to September in the reeds where it nests. It is the most common species of...

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,...

52- 60 cm, the upperparts dark, white underside, long wings. Present during migration, especially in April-May and August-September. Relatively...

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...

36-42 cm, sexes similar. Sooty black in colour with white beak and frontal shield. It runs over the water to take flight. Present throughout the...

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...

27-31 cm, sexes similar. Dark with tail in part white and red and yellow beak. Present throughout the year, it nests in freshwater and brackish...

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...

31-37 cm, the male with a grey head and tail, rufous upperparts, the female with rufous barred tail. Present throughout the year, it nests in the...

25-29 cm, sexes similar. A very colourful bird, it has a distinctive flight suited to capturing large insects in flight. It perches on leafless...

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...

45-55 cm, sexes similar. It is present throughout the year and nests in colonies, associating with various species of herons in some groves of the...

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...

23-26 cm, sexes similar. Grey under parts, brown stripes on uppers, long, curved beak. Present throughout the year, it is more numerous in winter and...

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...

15-16.5 cm, sexes similar. Reddish brown upperparts, and light in underparts. Present from April to September. It nests in coastal and riparian...

13-14 cm, sexes similar. Reddish brown plumage, loud, crackling song, especially when a human intrudes on the territory of a male. Present throughout...

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...