Macchiatonda Regional Natural Reserve

The Macchiatonda Regional Natural Reserve, established with the L.R. 23 July 1983, extends over an area of ​​approximately 250 hectares of coastal plain 50 km north of Rome at the foot of the hilly offshoots where Tolfa Mountains and Colli Ceriti meet, halfway between the wonderful Castle of Santa Severa and the Natural Oasis of Torre Flavia. The territory of the Nature Reserve is divided into a more protected Zone "A", which extends along the coast and into a Zone "B", which extends inland, used for organic farming and divided into six farms leased to as many agricultural companies.

Within Zone A it is possible to find the most important habitats, including the grove whose toponym, "Macchiatonda", common in the Tuscan-Lazio Maremma areas, defines a small laurel and elm grove of very ancient origin. The current distance from the sea, which is 60 metres, affects its shape and growth characterized by the presence of windbreaks (tamarix and phragmites). During autumn and winter, following the rains, the grove floods; this characteristic places it among the unique environments preserved in the Reserve, because it represents the relic of a hydrophilic forest system present along the Lazio coast. These and other habitats, such as coastal marshes, almost everywhere underwent a deep transformation of the layout of the territory due to land reclamation, which began in historical times. Today important formations of rushes and orchards outline the landscape of the coastal ponds, artificially reconstituted in the area behind the coastal strip.

The natural tendency towards swamping that the coastal plain at the foot of the Ceriti hills has preserved over time has facilitated environmental restoration works which, respecting the peculiarities of the vegetation, have allowed the enlargement of the humid surfaces, increasing the resting opportunities for the avifauna. As regards the latter, there are many species that can be observed throughout the year: among the wintering ones you can observe wild geese, bittern, wigeon, shoveler, garganey; the mallard, gurnard, coot, little bittern and little grebe are also present and nesting all year round. Present and not nesting are the Corsican gull, the heron and the little egret. Numerous are the white sandpipers, sandpipers, oystercatchers, turnstones, black-winged stilts and curlews. Also frequent are the marsh harrier, the short-eared owl, the various harriers, the short-toed harrier and the buzzard hunting from the Tolfa Mountains.

The Park Visitor Centre is located inside the Castle of Santa Severa which also houses the headquarters of the Reserve. It is composed of various sections in which faunal and floristic finds from the different environments of the Reserve are exhibited. The centre also hosts a permanent photographic exhibition on the territory of the Macchiatonda Reserve and the Tolfa Mountains.

The Reserve can also be used by families with children, the elderly and disabled.It is also a place appreciated by birdwatchers and nature photographers, due to the large number of bird species that can be observed at any time of the year. The fauna present in the ponds can easily be observed from the huts set up in the wetlands.

Blind people can access a flat path where 10 stations equipped with braille panels explain the naturalistic characteristics of the sites: some enhance the olfactory or tactile sensations, in others the sound of the sea evokes the coastal landscape.

A special space has been provided in the sheds for the carriages from where they can observe the birds in the ponds; the paths are subjected to particular care to avoid inconvenience as much as possible.

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