Signage in the San Rossore Estate

How to experience the Estate

The San Rossore Estate is very close to the city of Pisa, but it is not a simple urban park. It is a protected natural area. With its 4,650 hectares, it hosts one of the most important ecosystems of the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Regional Park.

To enjoy its beauty while preserving its unique and fragile environment, the Estate is divided into three zones, with increasingly restrictive access rules as you approach the coast.

This is a compromise we ask all visitors to understand and respect.

GREEN ZONE
Freely accessible area where all services are located.

• You may drive on paved roads and park only in designated areas.
• Four barbecue areas are available, equipped with windbreak barriers.
• Dogs are allowed, but must always be kept on a leash to avoid contact with wildlife.

YELLOW ZONE
Characterised by extensive woodland, meadows and wetlands.

• You may walk or cycle freely, but only along the marked trails.
• Dogs are not allowed, to prevent contact with wildlife and reduce the risk of accidents.

RED ZONE
This is the area with the highest level of environmental protection, home to delicate and highly sensitive ecosystems.

• Access is only permitted through guided tours, which can be booked by contacting one of the environmental guides recommended by the Park (listed on parcosanrossore.org).
• Dogs are not allowed, to prevent contact with wildlife and reduce the risk of accidents.
• With explicit authorization from the Park Authority, specific professional categories may enter this zone for forestry maintenance or scientific research activities.

BASIC RULES

DOGS MUST ALWAYS BE KEPT ON A LEASH AND ONLY IN THE GREEN ZONE. YOU MUST PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG.

DO NOT LEAVE ANY WASTE BEHIND, INCLUDING ORGANIC WASTE. PLEASE TAKE EVERYTHING BACK HOME.

NO OPEN FIRES. USE ONLY THE DESIGNATED BARBECUE AREAS.
NO CAMPING.

DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE. HUMAN FOOD MAKES ANIMALS DEPENDENT AND VULNERABLE, AND MANY FOODS CAN HARM THEIR HEALTH.

Failure to comply with these rules may result in an administrative fine (from €50 to €500), according to Article 63, paragraph 3 of Regional Law no. 30 of 19 March 2015.

Viale del Gombo – Information

The Viale del Gombo stretches for 4.4 km in an east–west direction between the Cascine Vecchie roundabout and Villa del Gombo, crossing the three zones of the Estate: green, yellow, and red. Different rules apply to each zone.

GREEN GOMBO

• Accessible by car, on foot, or by bicycle
• Parking is allowed only in designated areas
• Equipped with a barbecue area

YELLOW GOMBO

• Accessible on foot or by bicycle
• Never leave the main road, except to take a marked trail

RED GOMBO

• On Sundays and public holidays only, free pedestrian and bicycle access is permitted
• Never leave the main road
• On weekdays, including Saturdays, access is permitted only with a guided tour

Dogs are allowed only in the Green Gombo section and must always be kept on a leash to avoid contact with wildlife.

It takes about 3 hours to walk the entire Viale del Gombo round trip, when access is permitted. Keep in mind that whatever distance you walk, the return will require at least the same amount of time as the outward journey.

Viale del Gombo does not reach the sea: it ends at a gate, and it is not possible to go beyond that point. The Villa is not visible from the gate.

To reach the viewpoints overlooking the sea, a guided tour is required. Tours can be booked by contacting one of the environmental guides recommended by the Park (list available on the website: parcosanrossore.org) or a travel agency.

Beaches and sea of the Estate

All beaches within the San Rossore Estate are located in the red zone and therefore are not freely accessible.

Human presence is regulated to avoid excessive disturbance and environmental damage.

WHY DO THE ESTATE’S BEACHES NEED SUCH STRONG PROTECTION?
Until 1999, the San Rossore Estate was closed to the public and used exclusively by the Presidents of the Italian Republic and their guests.
This historical exclusivity spared its 12 km of coastline from the expansion of seaside tourism, allowing it to remain one of the most intact natural environments in Tuscany.

This exceptional continuity of undisturbed conditions has made the Estate’s beach a refuge for plant and animal species now extremely rare along the Tuscan coast.

CAN THE BEACHES BE REACHED WITHOUT DAMAGING THE DUNE ECOSYSTEM?
Yes – by being aware that these are exceptional beaches and by joining a guided tour led by an environmental guide who ensures the highest level of protection.
Recommended guides are listed on parcosanrossore.org.

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PARK BEACHES?

In two other Estates north of San Rossore – Tenuta Borbone and Tenuta di Migliarino – you can find the bathing beaches of Lecciona and Marina di Vecchiano.
These areas still maintain good natural integrity and are freely accessible, provided visitors follow the rules shown on information panels and behave responsibly.

BASIC RULES

DO NOT WALK ON THE DUNES. YOU MAY DAMAGE THEM AND HARM THE PIONEER VEGETATION THAT HELPS PRESERVE THEM.

DO NOT LEAVE ANY WASTE BEHIND, INCLUDING ORGANIC WASTE. PLEASE TAKE EVERYTHING BACK HOME.

DOGS ARE NEVER ALLOWED ON THE ESTATE’S BEACHES.

NO CAMPING.

DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE. HUMAN FOOD MAKES ANIMALS DEPENDENT AND VULNERABLE, AND MANY FOODS CAN HARM THEIR HEALTH.

Failure to comply with these rules may result in an administrative fine (from €50 to €500), according to Article 63, paragraph 3 of Regional Law no. 30 of 19 March 2015. 

EXAMPLES OF BEACH FAUNA

THE KENTISH PLOVER (Charadrius alexandrinus)
A small bird that nests exclusively on beaches and is becoming increasingly rare due to habitat loss and degradation.
Only a few coastlines can still host this species, and the Park’s beaches are among the last places in Tuscany where the Kentish plover has regularly nested in recent years, thanks to low human disturbance.

THE LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE (Caretta caretta)
This species digs its nest at the base of the dunes, where it lays its eggs.
The survival of the population depends on the protection of the dune environment.
The Park participates in the Life Turtlenest project, coordinated by Legambiente and co funded by the European Union: an international network dedicated to the study and protection of sea turtles and the monitoring of nests.

Map of Trails in the green and yellow zones

• Never leave the marked trails
• Dogs must always be kept on a leash and only in the green zone
• Do not feed wildlife
• The red zone is accessible only with a guided tour

Historical notes

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE ESTATE AS A CENTURIES OLD WITNESS OF HUMAN EVENTS

• 1084 Emperor Henry IV donates his properties in the Pisan State to the Diocese of Pisa.
• 1406 Pisa is conquered by Florence. All its territory is annexed to the Florentine Republic.
• 1549 The Medici settle in the Estate, paying rent to the Pisan Canons. San Rossore remains under their control for the next two centuries.
• 1737 The House of Habsburg Lorraine, a cadet branch of the Habsburg royal family, takes power and governs the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
• 1822 The Lorraine purchase the lands of San Rossore from the Pisan Diocese.
• 1860 The Grand Duchy of Tuscany is annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. The Estate passes to the royal family of Savoy.
• 1938 On 5 September, Vittorio Emanuele III signs the racial laws in the Villa of Cascine Vecchie.
• 1943 In July, the Savoy leave San Rossore to take refuge in Rome. In September, the Wehrmacht seizes the Estate.
• 1946 After the Referendum, the Estate passes to State Property and, in 1957, to the Presidency of the Republic.
• 1999 Parliament transfers ownership of San Rossore from the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic to the Tuscany Region.
• 2000 The Tuscany Region appoints the Park Authority (established in 1979) as the managing body of the Estate and delegates administrative functions to it.

BETWEEN SEA AND WOODS

In Roman times, much of the area that would later become the Estate was still below sea level – a brackish marsh covered by dense woodland known as the Selva Palatina. The coastline lay at the height of today’s Viale dell’Ippodromo, and near the present-day locality of Sterpaia there was a port serving the nearby urban centre. 

THE PISAN CHURCH RECEIVES A GIFT

In 1084, Henry IV of Franconia, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Germany, donates his properties in the Pisan State to the Chapter of Canons of the local Church, including the area that is now the San Rossore Estate, then known as the “Pisan tombolos”.

The toponym San Rossore, which begins to be associated with the area in this period, derives from a distortion of the name of a Christian martyr, Saint Lussorius. His relics briefly passed, around the 12th century, through a small church near the mouth of the Arno.

THE ARRIVAL OF FLORENCE: FIRST MAJOR WORKS IN THE ESTATE

In 1406, the city of Pisa falls under Florentine influence. At first, wealthy Florentine families rent San Rossore from the Canons to use it as a hunting and leisure ground.

The pleasantness of the place and the abundance of game attract the powerful Medici family, who take over in 1549.

Under Medici rule, the Estate undergoes major transformations. At the beginning of the 17th century, Ferdinando I undertakes reclamation and water management works that not only make San Rossore healthier but also benefit the entire city of Pisa, often subject to disastrous floods.

The Medici are also responsible for the first planting of pine forests, established with the triple purpose of mitigating sea winds to protect inland woods and fields, producing resinous timber ideal for shipbuilding, and harvesting valuable pine nuts.

THE LORRAINE ERA: SAN ROSSORE OPENS TO THE PISANS

In the first half of the 18th century, the Lorraine take over the government of Tuscany and inherit the lease from the Canons. Only in 1822, after intense negotiations, do they manage to purchase the Estate.

Leopold II of Lorraine is a frequent visitor and defines an orderly urban layout. He traces the axis connecting Pisa – today’s Viale delle Cascine -and then the one between Cascine Vecchie and the beach of Gombo, which at the time was open to the public.

He builds the Villa of Cascine Vecchie and, nearby, a horse racing track also open to the public.

A ROYAL AND RURAL ESTATE

The annexation of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to the Kingdom of Italy in the 1860 referendum marks the transfer of the Estate to the Savoy.

San Rossore becomes the stable summer residence of the royal family, but also a populous community of sharecroppers and workers engaged in agricultural, pastoral and forestry activities.

Many of the Estate’s current buildings date back to the Savoy period. On 5 September 1938, Vittorio Emanuele III signs the infamous racial laws at San Rossore, marking the beginning of state sanctioned discrimination against Jews in Italy.

WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION

The German army takes possession of the Estate in 1943–44 and commits atrocious crimes against its inhabitants.

After the war and with the birth of the Italian Republic, San Rossore passes to State Property and later to the Presidency of the Republic, maintaining its function as a private summer residence for the President and his guests.

THE BIRTH OF THE PARK AUTHORITY

In 1979, the Tuscany Region establishes the Natural Park “San Rossore, Migliarino, Massaciuccoli” to safeguard the historical and environmental values of a coastal area threatened by building and tourism expansion.

Twenty years later, in 1999, the Park incorporates the San Rossore Estate after Parliament transfers its ownership to the Region.

Text adapted from Meucci G., Castelli R. and Giuntini A., “Storia illustrata di un Parco”, Pacini Editore, Pisa 2014.

Agricultural history and ancient trades

STRICT MANAGEMENT FOR A HARD WORKING LAND

For centuries, the San Rossore Estate was the setting for hunting and leisure activities of noble families, but it also long hosted a rural and agricultural dimension.

From the second half of the 19th century, under the Savoy, a carefully planned agricultural organisation is established, managed by a farm employing a large paid workforce and sharecropping families.

At the head of the farm is an agronomist agent who directs activities from the deconsecrated Monastery of San Lussorio at Cascine Nuove (later destroyed by bombing in 1944): a true operational centre overseeing forest management, agricultural production and the large number of animals (horses, mules, dromedaries, sheep, dairy cows, working oxen, poultry, wild and farmed game).

MANY TRADES

The paid staff is organised hierarchically: each sector has its own supervisor.

There are palancai (builders of fences and enclosures), road workers, cart drivers, bifolchi (ox keepers and ploughmen), camel handlers, wood collectors, caterattai (gatekeepers of water control sluices), blacksmiths, farriers, horse handlers, mechanics, carpenters, butter masters and many others. Staff involved in hunting activities follow a separate hierarchy of Commanders, Post Chiefs, Gamekeepers and various workers.

A large and industrious community lives in San Rossore, reaching almost 1,000 inhabitants at its peak.

SHARECROPPING IN SAN ROSSORE

Registers kept by agronomist Luigi Petrini (1871–1883) record nine sharecropping families managing nine farms.

These large families live around the case coloniche, farmhouses dating back to the early 19th century and located within the boundaries of each holding.

All family members work in the fields, and the fruits of their labour are divided equally between the Agency and the sharecropper.

Life is simple and harsh: almost everything needed is self-produced, weather events heavily affect harvests, hygiene conditions are poor and infant mortality is high.

The Agency meticulously records equipment, plants, livestock, seeds and harvests. It also exercises strict control over the colonists’ lives: family data, births and deaths are updated; marriages require authorisation; temporary absences or visits from relatives must be approved.

The contractual relationship is extremely unfavourable to the sharecropper, who can be evicted with little notice even for minor insolvencies, making the family’s future very uncertain.

Sharecropping is abolished in Italy in 1964; all farms in the Estate are closed, and its social fabric changes permanently. Two people per family are hired as salaried workers by the public administration.

TRACES OF A FARM

In the Estate there is a large clearing called La Pineta, just north of Viale del Gombo, which once hosted a main building (the gamekeeper’s house), stables and a farmhouse inhabited by the family working the lands of the Paduletto area.

The open space used for processing pine cones and the remains of a scale used to weigh the harvest are still visible. All buildings were destroyed during the war.

Text adapted from Giuntini A., “San Rossore. Organizzazione agraria di fine ‘800. Storie di poderi e famiglie”, Felici Editore, Pisa 2024.

The second World War

A WELL MANAGED ESTATE

During eighty years of Savoy administration, San Rossore had become an organisational jewel, with extensive real estate assets, well structured agricultural and livestock management, important hunting activities and careful hydraulic regulation.

It was a hard-working community of over two hundred resident families and around four hundred direct employees.

The three Savoy kings – Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I and Vittorio Emanuele III – were all great admirers of the Estate, dedicating financial resources to it and spending long periods there with their families.

WAR BREAKS OUT: THE GERMANS ARRIVE

The fury of the Second World War stuck dramatically.

The King and Queen were in the middle of their usual summer stay when, on 11 July 1943, as events rapidly unfolded, they were forced to return to Rome. They would never return to San Rossore.

On 13 September 1943, just five days after the armistice, two Wehrmacht commands took up quarters in the Estate: one in the Villa of Cascine Vecchie, the other in the Chalet del Gombo.

For several months, coexistence between the occupiers and the inhabitants of the Estate, though tense, did not lead to incidents.

The situation changed radically after the partisan attack in Via Rasella in Rome, which led to the Fosse Ardeatine massacre.

German high command ordered immediate reprisals for any action deemed hostile to the Reich.

In San Rossore, population controls became increasingly severe.

NAZI ATROCITIES

On the morning of 13 June 1944, a flock of sheep led by Agostino Bragazzi accidentally tore a telephone wire near Cascine Nuove.

Bragazzi, a former Carabiniere who had returned home after fighting in Yugoslavia and Greece and leaving the force after the armistice of 8 September 1943, was arrested, summarily interrogated and sentenced to death.

The next day he was hanged from a pine tree in front of the racetrack.

For three days, the Germans prevented his family from recovering the body, leaving it visible as a warning to the population.

The horrors did not end there.

In the final days of the occupation, German troops searched the Estate’s woods for people to deport north.

Along the Fiume Morto, near the pumping station, they found a small shelter dug into the sand where a man and eight women – including four girls aged 12 to 17 – were hiding.

They were members of the Scudeller and Davini families, who, like many others, had taken refuge in the countryside of the Estate.

All were killed by machine-gun fire.

MILITARY CAMPS ON THE MEADOWS

The Allies arrived in San Rossore on 4 September 1944.

The Cotoni – the large meadows between Cascine Vecchie and Cascine Nuove, used for decades as training tracks for racehorses – were converted into military camps.

A vast expanse of tents and concrete platforms covered the grass.

The camp hosted the Brazilian contingent F.E.B. Força Expedicionária Brasileira, and the area has since been remembered as the “Campo dei Mori”.

THE HARD WORK OF RECONTRUCTION

The immediate post war period revealed devastation.

The woods had suffered every kind of damage, fields and pastures were littered with unexploded ordnance, wildlife was almost nonexistent, and herds of cattle, sheep, wild horses and even dromedaries had been wiped out.

Many buildings were damaged or completely destroyed.

The military camps were finally dismantled in spring 1946.

The State Property Office spent eleven years clearing mines and restoring the land.

Text adapted from Meucci G., Castelli R. and Giuntini A., “Storia illustrata di un Parco”, Pacini Editore, Pisa 2014.

Real Estate heritage

• 1084 Emperor Henry IV donates his properties in the Pisan State to the Diocese of Pisa.
• 1406 Pisa, including the area of San Rossore, is conquered by Florence.
• 1549 The Medici settle in the Estate.
• 1737 The Habsburg-Lorraine take power and govern the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
• 1822 The Lorraine purchase the lands of San Rossore from the Pisan Diocese.
• 1860 The Estate passes to the royal family of Savoy.
• 1938 Vittorio Emanuele III signs the racial laws in the Villa of Cascine Vecchie.
• 1943 In July, the Savoy leave San Rossore to take refuge in Rome. In September, the Wehrmacht seizes the Estate.
• 1944 Allied bombings hit San Rossore: the Monastery of San Lussorio and the Chalet del Gombo are destroyed. The Germans abandon the Estate and mine the Villa of Cascine Vecchie.
• 1946 After the Referendum, the Estate passes to the State Property Office and in 1957 to the Presidency of the Republic.
• 1999 Parliament transfers ownership of San Rossore to the Tuscany Region.
• 2000 The Tuscany Region appoints the Park Authority as the managing body of the Estate.

THE MONASTERY THAT ONCE STOOD HERE

In 1084, the same year Emperor Henry IV donates what would become the San Rossore Estate to the Pisan Diocese, a monastery is built near the mouth of the Arno on the ancient church of San Torpè.

The brief passage of the relics of the Christian martyr Saint Lussorius gives the place its name, later distorted from Luxorius to Ruxorius, and eventually to Rossore.

The Monastery of San Lussorio survived for centuries and, in 1822, when the Lorraine purchased the Estate, it was restored after falling into decay.

It housed the community church and later a small shop, until its destruction in an Allied air raid in April 1944.

THE CASCINE, A VILLA AND THE FIRST BATHING ESTABLISHMENT

Leopold II of Lorraine, a frequent visitor of the Estate, built the Cascine Nuove complex near the monastery to serve as dwellings and storage buildings.

Further north along the same axis, he renovated the main structure of a group of 17th-century farm buildings, transforming it into the Villa of Cascine Vecchie.

Next to it, he laid out a horse-racing track and several service structures, which today house the offices of the Park Authority and other businesses.

In an unusual gesture for the time, Leopold II authorised a private citizen, Gaetano Ceccherini, to open the beach to the public in exchange for an annual fee.

From the 1830s, the Gombo shoreline began to attract internationally renowned visitors.

EXPANSION OF THE ESTATE’S BUILDINGS

The Savoy also appreciated the Estate, which became a property of the Crown. They invested heavily in constructing numerous buildings, including:

• a facility for the Royal Horse Breeds in Sterpaia, initially intended as a stable for the King’s racehorses but soon converted into housing for powerful draft horses (1862)
• the Chalet del Gombo, an eclectic style villa near the shoreline, whose access was simultaneously closed to the public (1870)
• the Boschetto, a building near the mouth of the Arno designed specifically to house dromedaries (1885)
• the Palazzina, between Cascine Nuove and the mouth of the Arno, built to house the families of Estate workers (1882)

The Savoy also carried out major hydraulic works on the Fiume Morto (1926–1930) and renovated the Villa of Cascine Vecchie to modern standards (1926).

Less than twenty years later, in August 1944, the Villa was mined and blown up by retreating German troops, while the Chalet del Gombo was destroyed by Allied bombs.

After the war and the referendum of 2 June 1946, all properties belonging to the Royal Household were entrusted to the State Property Office, which spent the next eleven years clearing mines and restoring the coastline, roads and surviving bridges.

A FUTURISTIC VILLA

In 1957, the Estate passed to the Presidency of the Republic, and President Giovanni Gronchi decided to rebuild, on the ruins of the old Chalet del Gombo, a modern-style villa.

Designed by Roman architects A. Luccichenti and V. Monaco, the new villa covers about 640 m², with a square, concentric layout suspended on four radial iron pillars.

In the following years, the Villa del Gombo hosted heads of state and foreign prime ministers – from Tito in 1971 to Tony Blair in 1999, who even spent his holidays there with his family.

Today, the Villa, stripped of most of its original furnishings (transferred to Rome), is accessible through guided tours.

Text adapted from Meucci G., Castelli R. and Giuntini A., “Storia illustrata di un Parco”, Pacini Editore, Pisa 2014.

The racetrack and the pioneers of flight

A LIBERAL GRAND DUKE AND AN IDEAL PLACE

In 1829, Grand Duke Leopold II of Lorraine builds a villa at Cascine Vecchie and, nearby on the Prato degli Escoli, a track to train his horses for the spring races in Florence.

The calcareous-siliceous soil is immediately recognised as ideal for horse racing, attracting owners and trainers to nearby Barbaricina town.

The Grand Duke, known for his liberal attitude, allows anyone to train at Cascine Vecchie.

THE FIRST RACES

Within a few years, the number of horses and men becomes so large that a proper race meeting is organised in San Rossore with the Grand Duke’s consent.

In 1853, the “Società per le corse dei cavalli” is founded in Pisa to organise the event.

The first race takes place on 3 April 1854. Contemporary accounts describe a spectacle of uniforms and elegant dresses, carriages drawn by six horses, crowds on pine-wood stands and an orchestra playing between races.

In 1885, the first edition of the Premio Pisa is held – a prestigious race still today the pride of Pisan and national horse racing.

After alternating fortunes, suspensions and reorganisations, the Alfea Society is founded in 1898 and still operates today.

THE BIRTH OF THE “HORSE VILLAGE”

At the turn of the 20th century, Barbaricina reaches its peak and is nicknamed “the village of horses”.

Professions dedicated to racehorses flourish: jockeys, trainers, grooms, saddlers, farriers, tailors of racing silks.

A FIELD ALSO SUITABLE FOR FLYING

The early 1900s are a launching pad for aviation. After the Wright brothers’ first flights in 1903, Europe is swept by aviation fever. Pisa is no exception.

Lacking a proper airfield, the orderly meadows of the San Rossore racetrack become the ideal place.

In 1908, the Antoni brothers, Guido and Ugo – pioneers of Pisan aviation – use the Prato degli Escoli for experiments, first with a flapping wing machine, then with a motorised prototype.

In 1909, they found the Antoni Aviation Company and set up a small hangar/laboratory in San Rossore, “graciously granted by His Majesty the King”, as documents state.

AVIATION COMPETITIONS

In 1911, San Rossore hosts its first “aviation competition”.

The most famous pilots of the time gather on the racetrack meadow, and Mario Cobianchi from Bologna, flying a Farman biplane, manages to reach Piazza dei Miracoli, flying over the Leaning Tower to the amazement of tourists and locals.

That same year, other aerial events take place at the racetrack, including a stage of the Paris–Rome air raid organised for the 50th Anniversary of Italian Unification.

Text adapted from Meucci G., Castelli R. and Giuntini A., “Storia illustrata di un Parco”, Pacini Editore, Pisa 2014.

Geology and natural environments

The geological history of this territory tells of a long and fascinating interaction between land and sea.

About 120,000 years ago, the area now protected by the Park was completely submerged.

During the coldest phase of the last glaciation, around 18,000 years ago, the sea had retreated so far that one could walk kilometres beyond today’s coastline.

The Pisan-Versilian plain was formed by two forces working together:

• the sea and wind accumulating vast quantities of siliceous sand along the coast
• the rivers Arno, Serchio and Magra depositing sediments into a large tectonic depression

This created a wide alluvial plain with lagoons and freshwater basins separated from the sea.

Around 2,800 years ago, the alternation of alluvial/peat deposits and sand accumulations formed the first dunes – paleo-dunes – now far from the coast and giving the terrain a gently undulating profile.

The ancient landscape can be read in the dune ridges (tomboli or cotoni) running parallel to the coast, separated by lower areas called lame. In these depressions, constant humidity and proximity to the mountains favour the emergence of shallow groundwater, especially in rainy months.

A MOSAIC OF ENVIRONMENTS AND LIFE

The Estate contains an extraordinary variety of microclimates linked to its geological history.

On the dunes, the soil is dry, the climate arid and windy.

Just a few dozen metres away, the temperature drops and the ground becomes wet or flooded.

In the area known as Lame di Fuori lies one of the last intact coastal wetlands in Tuscany, a resting and feeding site for many migratory birds.
Although located in a Mediterranean climate zone, San Rossore also hosts plant and animal species typical of Central European, Atlantic and even boreal environments.

THE HUMAN FOOTPRINT

Human activity has left a significant mark.

Non-native trees such as stone pine and later maritime pine were introduced for productive purposes.

Swampy areas were reclaimed through drainage, landfills, watercourse diversions and canals.

Some areas were used for extensive grazing, creating a layered cultural landscape that now coexists with natural environments.

COASTAL DUNES

Formed by wind – and sea – transported sands, they feature poor soils, high salinity and strong temperature fluctuations.

A harsh but fascinating environment colonised by highly specialised species.

Main threat: coastal erosion.

WOODLANDS AND PINE FORESTS

These include hygrophilous woods (linked to freshwater), mesophilous woods (on more mature soils) and artificial pine forests planted for productive purposes.

They provide shelter and food for numerous animal species.

WETLANDS

Formed in the depressions between dune ridges where water easily emerges.

Depending on depth and salinity, habitats include wet meadows (fresh or brackish), reed beds and hygrophilous woods.

Main threat: salinisation of aquifers

OPEN AREAS

Grasslands and pastures, especially in areas used for centuries for extensive agriculture and grazing.

Rich in biodiversity, important for birds, insects and small mammals.

The San Bartolomeo wood

AN ANCIENT FOREST

San Bartolomeo is a monumental forest hosting large specimens of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and narrow-leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia oxycarpa).

It stretches 3.5 km in length and about 450 m in width.

Together with the woods of Maddalena and Palazzetto, it represents the oldest forested area of the Estate.

A 1639 document describes it as a swampy, brackish wood dominated by poplars, elms and oaks, used for grazing, hunting and timber.

From the 18th century, it underwent more rational forest management, with selective cuts to favour oak, prized for its timber.

Historical maps show that in the Grand Ducal period it was fully fenced and reserved for court hunts.

Thanks to its peripheral position relative to major forestry interventions under the Lorraine and Savoy, some of the oldest and largest trees of the Estate have survived here.

Between 1946 and 1956, reforestation followed heavy wartime cuts, but from the 1960s interventions drastically decreased and almost ceased.

THE RESILIENCE OF NATURE

Today, San Bartolomeo is a rare example of old-growth lowland forest in southern Europe: a woodland where trees have grown and fallen without direct intervention for at least sixty years.

These forests are not “virgin”, but they are ideal natural laboratories for studying ecosystem evolution.

Like other areas of the Estate, San Bartolomeo has suffered from heavy pressure by fallow deer (Dama dama) and wild boar (Sus scrofa), which feed on acorns and browse young seedlings, hindering natural regeneration. Fortunately, the arrival of the wolf (Canis lupus) has helped restore ecological balance by controlling ungulate populations. Forest development has gradually resumed, offering hope for the future of the woodland.

THE ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF IVY

Another factor affecting forest stability is the presence of ivy (Hedera helix).
It is an epiphytic climber – not a parasite: its roots do not penetrate the host tree but anchor to the trunk while feeding from the soil. Ivy enriches the environment by providing food, shelter and breeding sites for insects, birds and small mammals. Its late flowering offers nectar when few other plants bloom.
However, ivy can facilitate the fall of large trees. In San Bartolomeo, many monumental oaks – already rare – are heavily invaded by ivy. Since young oaks are currently scarce, managing ivy may be necessary. To better understand its role, the Park has set up four small experimental areas.
So if you see ivy cut, now you know why.

Text by Francesca Logli and Marco Del Frate.

The Palazzetto nature reserve

A SMALL TREASURE CHEST OF ANCIENT BIODIVERSITY

In prehistoric times, the coastline lay near the present-day city of Pisa. The Palazzetto area was therefore surrounded by seawater – an elevated island hosting plant species that disappeared elsewhere but managed to survive here through millennia of climatic change. Archaeological finds from the Neolithic period have been discovered in this area, evidence of ancient human presence.

In Roman times and up to the Middle Ages, a vast lowland forest known as the Selva Palatina stretched along the Tuscan coast from the mouth of the Magra River to the outskirts of Pisa. The Palazzetto Wood is one of the last and best-preserved fragments of this ancient ecosystem still in existence.

Recognising its exceptional geobotanical value, in 1948 the Italian Botanical Society proposed for the first time that it be designated a protected area. Today, Palazzetto is under strict protection to preserve its sand paleo-dunes – rising up to 15–18 metres -, its monumental trees and its extremely rare plants, true “relicts” of the Tertiary era and extraordinary witnesses of a very long natural history.

To ensure the conservation of this unique and delicate ecosystem, the area is not accessible to the public. Strict protection is essential to safeguard its ecological balance and extraordinary biodiversity.

A KALEIDOSCOPE OF FOREST ENVIRONMENTS

Despite its modest size of only 140 hectares, the Reserve contains all the forest types found in the Park.  

• On the highest dunes, far from the water table, grow xerophilous woods – lovers of dry soils – dominated by holm oak (Quercus ilex) and large stone pines (Pinus pinea), with an underwood rich in butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus) and heathers (Erica scoparia, Erica arborea).
• In the lower, wetter areas, known as lagacce, grow trees such as narrow leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) and black alder (Alnus glutinosa), capable of tolerating long periods of winter root submersion.
• On fresh but not flooded soils, live pedunculate oaks (Quercus robur), European hornbeams (Carpinus betulus) and field elms (Ulmus minor), some of which have survived Dutch elm disease, a fungal infection that devastated elm populations across Europe. In summer, tall bracken ferns (Pteridium aquilinum) develop in the underwood.

EXTRAORDINARY AND EXTREMELY RARE PLANTS

• Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.): capable of retaining water up to thirty times its own weight. It forms small floating peat mats. A glacial relict, it survives at these latitudes thanks to a micro-thermal inversion that keeps the soil cooler than the air above.
• Swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus palustris): a wetland species found in Italy only at Lake Massaciuccoli, Lake Fondi (Lazio) and here in the Palazzetto Wood. It grows in neutral to basic peat bogs, associated with species such as great fen-sedge (Cladium mariscus) and Daval’s sedge (Carex davalliana). It produces large pink flowers.
• Marsh St John’s wort (Hypericum elodes): grows in wet, peaty environments, preferring acidic, nutrient poor soils. Common along the Atlantic coast of Europe, in Italy its distribution is limited and fragmented, with isolated populations mainly in the Alps, the Po Valley and some areas of the northern Apennines.

RELICTS OF THE TERTIARY ERA

Some species found in Palazzetto are prehistoric relict forms:

• Silk vine (Periploca graeca): a tropical origin liana now present in Italy only in the Park and in a few areas of Apulia and Calabria. It climbs with spirals always turning left, has opposite leaves and plum-red flowers.
• Royal fern (Osmunda regalis): one of the most ancient ferns, found only at Massaciuccoli, San Rossore and the Palazzetto Reserve. Its fertile fronds form “panicles” covered with sporangia, unlike common ferns which bear them on the underside of the leaves.

Text by Francesca Logli and Marco Del Frate.

The wetland environment of the Paduletto reserve

Rivers flowing through plains can, over centuries, change course and create new bends. Abandoned riverbeds gradually turn into wetlands and marshes.

The Paduletto area is an example of this natural process: an abandoned bend of the Fiume Morto has become, over time, a biodiversity-rich ecosystem characterised by typical marsh vegetation.

Today, the Paduletto is a nature reserve hosting numerous habitats essential for local flora and fauna. It requires a high level of protection and is not accessible to visitors, who must remain on the path without entering the reserve.

VEGETATION

In the wettest areas, hygrophilous species dominate, such as narrow-leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia var. oxycarpa) and black alder (Alnus glutinosa), whose submerged roots withstand oxygen-poor stagnant water for 4–5 months a year.

On the drier banks grow pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and white poplar (Populus alba), accompanied by herbaceous species such as yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus) and rushes (Juncus spp.).

Submerged banks are covered with common reed (Phragmites australis), historically used for roofing huts.

BIRDLIFE

Thanks to its wide variety of environments, the Paduletto area is a true biodiversity hotspot, offering ideal habitat for many bird species.

The brightly coloured and aerodynamic kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is specialised in catching small fish by diving from elevated perches.

Among the rails – birds linked to reed beds and wetlands – stand out the coot (Fulica atra), recognisable by its white bill and trumpet like call; the smaller moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), agile among vegetation; and the more elusive water rail (Rallus aquaticus), difficult to see but easy to hear. Alongside the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the most common duck species, these birds attract raptors specialised in hunting in wetlands, such as the marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus), often seen gliding over reed beds in search of prey.

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

The Paduletto reserve hosts several amphibian species, including the common toad (Bufo bufo), the Balearic green toad (Bufotes balearicus), the green frog (Pelophylax bergeri–hispanica), the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) and the Italian tree frog (Hyla intermedia).

Among reptiles are the barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica), the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) and the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis).

The American pond slider (Trachemys scripta), introduced by humans, is increasingly widespread and poses a competitive threat to the native species.

No newts have been reported in the reserve, likely due to the massive presence of the invasive Louisiana crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which preys on larvae, tadpoles and even adult amphibians, altering the balance of aquatic ecosystems.

Text by Francesca Logli, Marco Del Frate, Giuseppe Vecchio and Marco A.L. Zuffi, Museum of Natural History, University of Pisa.

The woodlands and the human hand

A FOREST MANAGED FOR CENTURIES

The woodlands of the San Rossore Estate lie in an area historically shaped by human activity and today surrounded by a heavily urbanised context.

From the Middle Ages onward, coastal plains across Europe were progressively reclaimed and deforested to make room for fields, pastures, towns and infrastructure.

San Rossore followed a different path. Its woodlands and wetlands were preserved over time because they served the needs of successive owners: providing valuable timber for construction and shipyards, and hosting hunting and leisure activities.

INTENSIVE BUT PLANNED USE

Intensive exploitation led to forest depletion. In 1762, the Lorraine decided to hire a forestry expert of Dutch origin. His task was to determine which parts of the forest should be used for construction timber or firewood, which should be left to natural evolution, and which should be reforested.

Thus was born the first Forest Management Plan of the Estate, which – already three centuries ago – scheduled interventions over multi-year periods according to forest characteristics and intended uses.

The major reforestations of maritime pine and stone pine date back to this period. Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) was introduced to shield inland vegetation and crops from sea salt and strong south-westerly winds. Stone pine (Pinus pinea) was planted systematically for productive purposes: to obtain resinous timber suitable for shipbuilding and to produce valuable pine nuts.

DIFFERENT TIMES, DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS

Many management plans followed the first Lorraine plan: the San Rossore Estate has one of the longest forest-management traditions in Italy.

Different eras assigned different functions to the woodlands, and management interventions varied accordingly.

In the past, productive and recreational functions prevailed, while recent approaches focus on biodiversity conservation.

As early as 1960, before the Park was established, the management plan of the time created the Palazzetto Nature Reserve to protect the most valuable natural areas – still inaccessible to visitors today.

Planning a forest means studying its evolutionary mechanisms, predicting and guiding its development in space and time, and designing necessary interventions while monitoring their outcomes.

Sustainable management is achieved when:

• the forest resource is increasing (annual growth in volume exceeds timber extraction)
• a healthy balance exists between the needs of different stakeholders, since forests provide ecological conservation, social recreational and economic productive ecosystem services.

SILVICULTURE: A SCIENCE FOR FORESTS

Even today, the woodlands of San Rossore are managed: an updated plan defines the main functions of each forest type and the most suitable silvicultural interventions for each year.

For example:

• dense pine forests are thinned to favour young pines that need light
• large cavity bearing trees are left undisturbed to allow nesting by birds and small mammals, or to provide shelter for bats
• fallen trees are not removed, allowing fungi and organisms associated with dead wood to develop
• in other cases, dead trees are removed to prevent insect infestations or fire risk.

The landscape around you is the result of a continuous and dynamic interaction between nature and human activity.

With this panel and others along Viale del Gombo, we aim to help you observe the Estate’s woodlands with greater awareness. 

Text by Francesca Logli.

Cultivated woodlands

The pine forests we see today were planted, thinned, cut and replanted in defined plots and at different times starting from the late 18th century. In the past, their function was essentially productive: pine cones provided valuable pine nuts, trees grew quickly and timber was obtained from the cuts.

Today, for pine forests to fulfil their productive, landscape and recreational functions, they must be actively managed where conditions are most favourable.

WHY IS THINNING IMPORTANT?

An effective management tool is thinning, carried out from the early stages of forest development. It consists of repeated cuts over time to favour selected pines by removing competing ones.

After thinning, the remaining trees receive more light and more water from the soil, placing them in the best conditions to grow both in height and width.

A broad umbrella-shaped crown, supported by a solid trunk, produces abundant cones, withstands wind well and offers shelter to many animal species.

In an overly dense forest, trunks are thin, crowns narrow and stunted, insufficient light reaches the ground to support other tree species, and the underwood – essential for feeding and sheltering wildlife – struggles to develop.

THE PINE FOREST RENEWS ITSELF

At the end of its life cycle – around one hundred years – the pine forest stops growing in height and diameter and begins to decline, causing the physical and structural collapse of entire stands.

At this point, it is cut using the “clear-cut” method, which removes all pines in a limited area so as not to expose too much soil.

After clear-cutting, the pine forest is replanted to create a new woodland.

This “drastic” intervention is necessary because young pines need abundant light from all sides, more than other species.

This management method has been used for at least three centuries, and many mature pine forests seen today are the result.

If young seedlings are already present on the ground, gradual cuts of mature pines are carried out instead, relying on natural regeneration without planting new trees.

This new technique was tested in the Park in 2022 to increase pine-forest biodiversity and resilience to climate change.

MARITIME PINE (Pinus pinaster)

Lifespan: 150–200 years

Growth: relatively fast

Height: up to 30 m

Characteristic: inclined “sabre-shaped” trunk due to strong sea winds

Bark: thick, reddish-violet, with deep fissures and peeling plates

Leaves: persistent, leathery, pointed needles in pairs, up to 20 cm long, all diverging from the branch

Cones: conical when closed, ovoid when open, 10–20 cm long, asymmetrical, non-resinous, with pointed scales; they do not contain edible pine nuts

STONE PINE (Pinus pinea)

Typical umbrella-shaped crown in adult trees, reaching 25–30 m in height.

Young trees have a globular crown with upward-pointing branches.

Maturity cuts are carried out every 80–100 years.

Bark: reddish-brown, scaly, divided into large quadrangular plates

Leaves: persistent needles in pairs, 10–20 cm long

Cones: generally solitary, globose, 8–15 cm long; edible pine nuts develop inside, with a woody shell

Text by Francesca Logli.

Holm oak woodlands

A BENEFICIAL COEXISTENCE

The holm oak (Quercus ilex) is a broadleaf species typical of Mediterranean forests and, like all oaks, is very long-lived. In ancient forests it covered the dry areas of coastal zones.

When stone pine forests were planted in the San Rossore Estate, holm oak was introduced because:

• it is a native species perfectly suited to the local climate
• it helps maintain soil fertility, counteracting the acidifying effect of conifer needles
• it contributes to creating a multi-layered forest structure, richer and more welcoming for plant and animal species

The association of stone pine and holm oak also provides an important initial mutual benefit.

Holm oak is a shade-tolerant species, and pine provides the necessary shade.

Pine, which requires full light, does not compete with holm oak, and its sun-loving crown can grow freely above it.

MANAGEMENT CHOICES

In these mixed forests, the natural increase in shade gradually leads to the disappearance of stone pine and the dominance of holm oak, which grows better in shade and lives longer.

Forest management must therefore make choices that, depending on environmental conditions, favour either pine or holm oak in the long term.

The current Forest Plan of the San Rossore Estate confirms the approach of previous plans:

• maintain pine forests where they grow well and broadleaf species are few
• favour the transition to holm oak woodland or mixed forest where broadleaf species prevail or where pine grows poorly due to unfavourable conditions.

Without human intervention, holm oak would gradually become the dominant species, triggering natural ecological succession toward a mature Mediterranean forest – now increasingly rare.

In a protected context, this process is desirable, restoring ecological value and resilience to the ecosystem.

The mixed holm oak–stone pine forest in the San Rossore Estate covers 113.68 hectares.

It consists of a dominant layer of stone pine above an intermediate layer of holm oak mixed with Mediterranean scrub.

Common shrubs include narrow-leafed mock privet (Phillyrea angustifolia), heather (Erica spp.), buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) and myrtle (Myrtus communis).

Among broadleaf trees are manna ash (Fraxinus ornus), field elm (Ulmus minor), field maple (Acer campestre) and, more rarely, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and narrow leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia).

HOLM OAK (Quercus ilex)

An evergreen broadleaf oak typical of the Mediterranean region, belonging to the Fagaceae family and producing acorns.

It is a hardy species, capable of withstanding prolonged drought and adapting to various geological substrates, except those that are too compact, clayey or waterlogged.

Slow-growing but long lived, it can exceed 1,000 years of age.
Its leathery leaves vary greatly even on the same tree: lower leaves accessible to herbivores are often spiny, while upper leaves are smooth and not spiny.

Its wood is very hard and heavy, difficult to season and work, but still valued as firewood and charcoal.

Acorns are widely used as feed for pigs.

Both pine and holm oak are damaged when ungulate pressure becomes excessive, but holm oak, unlike pine, can resprout from the base.

Text by Francesca Logli.

Woodlands and ecological balance

A LIVING, POPULATED FOREST

The Park’s woodlands host numerous wildlife species, including wild boar (Sus scrofa) and fallow deer (Dama dama), alongside small mammals such as the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the edible dormouse (Glis glis).

When present in ecological balance, these animals contribute to the richness of the ecosystem.

However, when some populations exceed the land’s carrying capacity, they can significantly impact vegetation.

WHEN THE FOREST SUFFERS

Signs of excessive pressure from deer and wild boar are easy to recognise:

• young plants broken or stripped of leaves
• large areas of soil disturbed
• saplings with crowns neatly cut at browsing height, as if pruned.

Fallow deer feed on shoots and leaves, while wild boar uproot seedlings while searching for bulbs, acorns and small arthropods.

These behaviours, combined with trampling, rubbing and territorial marking, can select for less palatable or toxic plant species and compromise forest regeneration.

RESTORING BALANCE

Thanks to targeted management actions to reduce ungulate overpopulation, a clear reversal of trend is now visible.

When animal numbers stabilise at ecologically sustainable levels, the number of young trees and the crown development of holm oaks (Quercus ilex) increase again – clear signs that the forest is recovering.

Alongside active management by the Park, a natural ally has taken on an increasingly central role: the wolf (Canis lupus), present in the Estate since 2016.

As an apex predator, the wolf helps regulate ungulate populations, restoring balance between fauna and vegetation and reducing the need for human intervention.

CONTROL AREAS

To assess the effects of ungulates on forest ecosystems, the Park uses a simple but effective method: comparing open areas with fenced areas inaccessible to deer and wild boar.

Over the years, this comparison has shown that reduced browsing pressure leads to a gradual decrease in differences between the two areas, confirming the importance of ecological balance.

MANAGING TO CONSERVE

The purpose of a protected area is not to preserve every individual animal, but to ensure balance between habitats and species.

Achieving this requires conscious and active management: only in this way can biodiversity be protected and the ecosystem’s future ensured.

From holm oak to wolf, from underwood to ungulates, every habitat and species is linked by deep relationships in a dynamic equilibrium where each element depends on the others.

From this interconnection arises ecosystem stability: a web that has sustained what we call the “circle of life” for millions of years.

When this balance breaks, the entire ecosystem suffers; when it is respected, nature regenerates, evolves and continues to offer its benefits to all forms of life.

Text by Marco Del Frate.

Different woodland types in the Estate

Seen from above, the Estate’s woodlands appear as green stripes running parallel to the coast: the lighter ones are the umbrella-shaped crowns of stone pines, while the darker ones belong to more varied vegetation.

These are different forest formations, whose distribution is influenced by human interventions (pine planting) and by the Estate’s geomorphology: alternating dune ridges – elevated, drier environments – and interdunal depressions – wetter and cooler due to the shallow water table.

HYGROPHILOUS WOODLANDS

In interdunal depressions, called lame, the water table fed by seasonal rains reaches the soil surface and water stagnates for much of the year.

This humid environment is ideal for species such as alder and ash, whose roots tolerate prolonged submersion.

Woodlands that develop under these conditions are called hygrophilous – adapted to water rich environments.

Main hygrophilous tree species:

• black alder (Alnus glutinosa)
• narrow leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. oxycarpa)
• field elm (Ulmus minor)
• common ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
• white poplar (Populus alba)

XEROPHILOUS WOODLANDS

On elevated dune ridges, safe from winter flooding, forest formations develop with species adapted to arid conditions, such as pines and holm oaks.

Stone pine, with its characteristic umbrella crown, was introduced during the Medici era and has since been managed as a true forest crop. Its pine nuts and rapid growth made it valuable for timber production.

Maritime pines do not produce edible pine nuts but withstand sea winds well. They were planted to form a protective barrier against salt spray. Their typical inclined shape is known as “sabre-shaped”. Today, few specimens remain, drastically reduced by the maritime pine scale insect (Matsucoccus feytaudi), an invasive species that began spreading in the Estate in 2006.

Under the pine canopy grow native species such as holm oak and other Mediterranean sclerophylls – evergreen broadleaves that defend themselves from summer drought by reducing activity and developing thick waxy leaves.

Main tree and shrub species in pine forests and xerophilous woodland:

• stone pine (Pinus pinea)
• maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)
• holm oak (Quercus ilex)
• manna ash (Fraxinus ornus)
• field elm (Ulmus minor)
• occasionally pedunculate oak (Quercus robur)
• broom heather (Erica scoparia)
• myrtle (Myrtus communis)
• mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus)
• mock privet (Phillyrea angustifolia)

MESOPHILOUS WOODLANDS

Intermediate environments between dunes and interdunes – neither too wet nor too dry, and generally cool – are occupied by highly varied broadleaf woodlands.

They represent the most widespread native formation and, botanically and silviculturally, the most prestigious in the Estate.

These include pure stands of white poplar, pine, holm oak and alder, but the dominant species are white hornbeam and pedunculate oak – a large oak once widespread across European lowland forests until the Middle Ages.

It was exploited for centuries for its valuable timber and can reach impressive sizes.

In the Estate, monumental pedunculate oaks can be found in the San Bartolomeo Forest.

Main mesophilous tree and shrub species:

• pedunculate oak (Quercus robur)
• white hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)
• white poplar (Populus alba)
• bramble (Rubus spp.)
• hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
• crab apple (Malus sylvestris)
• spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus)
• occasionally bay laurel (Laurus nobilis)

ECOTONES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL VALUE

Despite the Estate’s limited size, the large number of macro-habitats provides an environmental mosaic capable of hosting an exceptionally high number of animal species.

Moreover, the transition zones between different habitats create unique environments known as ecotones. These areas combine characteristics of multiple ecosystems, hosting species from each, as well as additional organisms that find suitable conditions only in these hybrid zones.

It is precisely in ecotones that biodiversity reaches its highest expression, thanks to the coexistence and interaction of species from different environments.

Text by Marco Del Frate.

The wild boar

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a wild member of the suid family and represents the ancestral form of the domestic pig. Widespread across almost the entire national territory, it is known for its remarkable ability to adapt to the food resources available in its environment. Robustly built, it is perfectly equipped to move through dense vegetation thanks to its thick skin, coarse coat and streamlined body, which allows it to pass even through the thickest scrub.

In the past, an autochthonous subspecies – the so-called Maremman boar – lived in this region, but numerous releases for hunting purposes in the second half of the 20th century led to the loss of its genetic identity, even within the San Rossore Estate. During that period, individuals from Eastern Europe-sometimes hybridised with domestic pigs-were released throughout Italy, altering the original population.

A FALSE ISOLATION

Although the San Rossore Estate may appear isolated – bounded by the Arno and Serchio rivers, the sea and urbanised areas – its boundaries are only apparent. Studies conducted in the Park have shown that many wild boars, identifiable by ear tags, frequently move into surrounding areas such as Migliarino and Tombolo.

BEHAVIOUR AND ADAPTATIONS

Wild boars show strong sexual segregation: females live in matriarchal groups composed of one or more adults with their young, while adult males – recognisable by their large curved canines, sharpened by rubbing upper and lower tusks – lead a solitary life.

Space use depends heavily on food availability, which varies seasonally. In autumn, for example, boars concentrate in broadleaf woods, attracted by fallen acorns. Food abundance also affects reproduction: in particularly productive years, females may reproduce twice in the same year.

Polyandry has also been observed: a female may carry offspring conceived with different males in successive matings.

AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY: THE LINK WITH THE WOLF

A curious aspect of the wild boar’s extraordinary adaptability emerged with the recolonisation of the wolf in the Estate. During the early phases of the predator’s return, researchers observed a change in the boars’ diet: they began consuming more protein, feeding on carcasses left by wolves.

It also appears that boars learned to interpret the presence of wolves as an indirect signal of a potential food source, waiting in hunting areas to take advantage of leftovers.

This behavioural plasticity confirms the wild boar as one of the most resilient and opportunistic species in the San Rossore ecosystem.

Text by Marco Del Frate.

The fallow deer

The fallow deer (Dama dama), like other cervids, is characterised by the presence of antlers – bony structures often mistakenly called “horns”. Unlike horns, antlers fall and regrow every year: adult males shed them between March and April, followed by younger males, and rebuild them completely within a few months.

This cycle is linked to their role in male-to-male combat during the breeding season: since antlers can be damaged in fights, annual renewal ensures they remain efficient.

The shape and size of the antlers help determine the age of individuals: in young males they appear as simple spikes, while in adults they develop into long structures with a terminal palmation.

Physically, the fallow deer is adapted for running. Its musculature and skeletal structure have evolved to optimise escape from predators. For example, the scapular joint does not allow lateral rotation of the limbs, favouring rapid forward-and-backward movement.

Fallow deer have been present in the San Rossore Estate since the 15th century, when they were introduced for hunting and ornamental purposes. Today, the population is considered of historical value at the national level. Species management aims to maintain ecological balance, ensuring habitat and biodiversity conservation.

THE FALLOW DEER OF SAN ROSSORE: A UNIQUE CASE IN THE WORLD

The fallow deer population of San Rossore has been intensively studied since the 1980s and has revealed extraordinary behavioural traits.
Here, males adopt a mixed reproductive system combining territorial strategies (defending a specific area) and non-territorial ones (where males do not defend a territory).

The simultaneous presence of these strategies is exceptional in itself.

Among the territorial strategies, the most singular and effective is the LEK: a cluster of male territories visited by females during the fertile period and formed every year in the same location.
During the rut, males gather here from distant areas such as Migliarino and Tombolo.

Dominant males defending a territory within the LEK spend the entire breeding season without eating or drinking, engaging in continuous and exhausting fights.

Only individuals in optimal physical condition can withstand this effort, achieving the highest reproductive success.

This particular strategy – documented for decades only in this area – has made the San Rossore fallow deer an international reference in scientific research.

FALLOW DEER FAWNS: A SURVIVAL STRATEGY

Fallow deer adopt a specific strategy to protect newborns from predators.

In the first weeks of life, the fawn remains hidden in vegetation, motionless and silent, relying on its camouflaged coat to avoid detection.

The mother stays at a distance and, if danger approaches, distracts predators by drawing attention to herself and moving away from the fawn’s hiding place.

For this reason, in spring it is common to find apparently “abandoned” fawns. They are not abandoned. It is essential not to approach or touch them: fallow deer fawns are born without scent to avoid detection by predators. Human scent could compromise their safety by nullifying their primary defence strategy.

Text by Marco Del Frate.

The wolf

The wolf (Canis lupus) is an apex predator at the top of the food chain, playing a fundamental role in ecological balance.

Highly social, wolves live in family groups – packs – composed of the alpha pair, the year’s pups and part of the offspring from previous years. The strength of the pack lies in teamwork: young wolves help parents care for pups, supporting the survival and growth of the group.

Only the dominant pair reproduces, while other members – usually siblings – prepare, upon reaching adulthood, to embark on a long and risky journey.

Travelling hundreds of kilometres, they search for new territories free of other wolves, where they can establish their own pack. It is thanks to this dispersal that, after reaching a historic low in the 1970s, wolves recolonised large areas of Italy.

Territoriality is one of their most distinctive traits: the alpha pair fiercely defends its territory, preventing other wolves from entering. This strict territorial control can lead to risky interactions between wolves and dogs. Although dogs were domesticated 13–14 thousand years ago, they belong to the same species. Thus, wolves perceive dogs as intruders – essentially as other wolves invading their territory.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE WOLF IN THE PARK

The species first appeared in the Park in 2008, with the arrival of a genetically pure male from a family group in the lower Cecina Valley. This wolf moved between the San Rossore Estate and the Migliarino Wood for about three years before disappearing.

A new male arrived in 2016 and settled permanently in the Park. The passage of new individuals, including a female, led in 2021 to the first recorded reproduction of the species in the Park.

Since then, a stable breeding pack has established itself, with the San Rossore Estate as the core of its range.

During the years when only a single wolf was present, the high density of prey – especially fallow deer – created a unique situation.

Scientific studies showed that partial consumption of prey by the lone wolf triggered a trophic cascade, benefiting other species (wild boar, foxes, corvids) that fed on the remains.

At that time, most predation occurred near abandoned fences, which the wolf used to compensate for the absence of a pack. With the formation of a stable pack, this behaviour disappeared and wolves began hunting more uniformly across the Park.

A delicate but powerful ecological balance has now been restored. As an apex predator, the wolf acts as a “natural filter”, selecting the most vulnerable prey and regulating wild ungulate populations.

Text by Marco Del Frate.

Birdlife

Thanks to its mosaic of environments – wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and pastures – the San Rossore Estate hosts high avian biodiversity and is recognised at the European level for its conservation value.

The coastal dune areas represent the last suitable stopover sites during northward migration.

WOODLANDS

The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a corvid known for transporting and hiding acorns and other seeds. This behaviour contributes to forest regeneration: young plants often sprout from seeds the bird dropped while carrying them. The jay is also famous for its unmistakable alarm call, often heard by Park visitors, which warns of potential dangers and alerts other wildlife.

The wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) is recognisable by the distinctive white bands on its wings.

It uses woodlands as refuge areas, especially in winter, when it may form large flocks of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. It also frequents open areas, feeding on seeds, berries and shoots.

The green woodpecker (Picus viridis), with its laughing call, the great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), whose drumming echoes through the woods, and the rarer lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor) play an essential ecological role by excavating tree cavities that become shelters for many other species.

Three tit species live in the Park: the great tit (Parus major), the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and the rarer crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus). These small passerines inhabit woodlands, feeding on insects, larvae, fruits and berries, and are easily noticed for their acrobatic foraging postures.

WETLANDS

In winter, several species find refuge in San Rossore:

• the greylag goose (Anser anser), a highly gregarious species
• the Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata), recognisable by its long-curved bill
• the common crane (Grus grus), a regular migrant and wintering species, flying with neck and legs outstretched in slow, elegant movements.

ALONG THE COAST

Among the most threatened species is the Kentish plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus), which nests in dune environments and relies on egg camouflage as a defence strategy, laying directly on the sand without building a nest.

The Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) is visible during migration periods.

Recognisable by its striking black-and-white plumage and long bright red bill, it is often seen along the coast, sometimes in large groups, feeding on bivalve molluscs and resting to accumulate energy for long migratory journeys – northwards in spring and towards Africa in autumn.

GRASSLANDS AND PASTURES

The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) is often seen soaring overhead, emitting its characteristic call.

The kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is easily recognised by its “hovering” flight, remaining suspended in the air while hunting.

Among the colourful summer visitors are the European roller (Coracias garrulus) and the European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), very common in open areas and nesting in burrows dug into sandy soil. To protect their young, bee-eaters create false nests near the real one, reducing predation risk.

A species of particular interest – both for its biology and for the presence of a stable population in the Estate – is the red backed shrike (Lanius collurio). This small summer passerine is a skilled predator, hunting insects and even small birds.

Text by Marco Del Frate and Giuseppe Vecchio.

Mammals

The presence of large natural areas within the San Rossore Estate – almost entirely free from human disturbance – provides numerous mammal species with safe refuges and abundant food resources, contributing to the stability of their populations, including those that are more elusive and sensitive to human presence.

AMONG THE TREETOPS

The edible dormouse (Glis glis) is an arboreal rodent typical of woodlands, with nocturnal habits. It shelters in tree cavities, often previously excavated by woodpeckers. In summer, its characteristic squeaking call echoes through the canopy. To survive winter, it enters a long hibernation lasting several months, giving rise to the well-known saying “to sleep like a dormouse”.

The European red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), also an arboreal rodent, differs from the dormouse in its diurnal habits and its ability to remain active throughout the year without hibernating.

The pine marten (Martes martes), a mustelid that partly shares arboreal habits, is generally elusive and mainly nocturnal. However, during the period of caring for its young – when energy demands increase – it may be seen moving quickly through quieter areas even during daylight hours.

ROOMATES OFTEN AT ODDS

Another rodent present in the Park is the crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), easily recognisable by its characteristic quills – modified, fused hairs used for defence. This large nocturnal animal leaves its burrow, a complex system of underground tunnels, after sunset to search for food, mainly tubers, roots and seeds.

The porcupine often competes for burrow use with the European badger (Meles meles), recognisable by its black-and white-facial stripes, and with the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), a highly adaptable and opportunistic carnivore. In some cases, these species may share burrows or alternate their use from year to year. 

A BALANCE RESTORED

The Park’s large mammals include two ungulates considered symbolic for their historical presence in the area: the fallow deer (Dama dama) and the wild boar (Sus scrofa). These animals strongly influence the ecosystem and vegetation, sometimes causing significant changes in environmental structure due to fluctuations in their populations.

Since the 2000s, the wolf (Canis lupus) – a predator of these species – as begun its natural recolonisation of the Park. Through its presence, it contributes to controlling ungulate populations and, in the long term, promotes biodiversity within the Estate, restoring a natural balance in ecological dynamics.

Text by Marco Del Frate.

Reptiles and amphibians

In the Park, every corner tells a different story: silent ponds, shaded paths, intricate woodlands and sandy dunes form a mosaic of extraordinary environments. In these habitats move and reproduce – often invisible to an untrained eye – fascinating, ancient creatures that are essential to ecosystem balance: reptiles and amphibians.

Except for the more common lizards and green frogs, these are elusive species, difficult to observe and active mainly at night, at dawn or in the late afternoon. Their presence varies according to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity: on the hottest days, reptiles seek shade, while in dry conditions amphibians reduce their movements or stop calling altogether.

REPTILES IN THE PARK

The native reptiles found in the Park are fully representative of the species typical of the Tuscan coast.

The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) inhabits pools and ponds in inland wetlands and many of the Park’s canals, while the common gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) can be seen on walls and tree trunks. The slow worm (Anguis fragilis), with its elongated, limbless body, may resemble a small snake, but is actually a lizard with particularly secretive habits.

Other lizards found in the Estate include the western green lizard (Lacerta bilineata), the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), which prefers cooler and more humid woodland areas, and the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus), which inhabits open, sunny clearings.

The Park is also home to several snake species harmless to humans, as their bite contains no venom. The most common are the barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica), which frequents wetlands, and the western whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus), often seen along paths and in clearings.

Rarer and more difficult to spot are the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) and the Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus).

The asp viper (Vipera aspis) is the only venomous snake found in the Park, but not in the San Rossore Estate. Its absence here may originally be due to the extensive flooded areas, unsuitable for the species, and later to habitat fragmentation caused by road networks.

ANATOMY AND BEHAVIOUR OF AMPHIBIANS

From an anatomical and morphological point of view, toads have a relatively stocky build and enter the water almost exclusively for reproduction; frogs may be aquatic (green frog) or woodland-dwelling (agile frog). The tree frog is small in size and has adhesive discs at the tips of its fingers, allowing it to climb and cling to almost any surface.

Except during the breeding season, it lives out of the water on shrubs and riparian vegetation, from where it sings – especially at night and when humidity is high.

ALIEN SPECIES: A THREAT

Among the reptiles in the Park are also three non native, or alien, species – introduced by humans, intentionally or accidentally, outside their natural range, in places they could not reach on their own.

These include the American pond slider (Trachemys scripta), which now inhabits most of the Park’s and Estate’s waterways and can be easily observed from the bridge over the Fiume Morto Nuovo leading to Sterpaia. There are also two terrestrial tortoises, much rarer and restricted to limited areas: Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) and the marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata).

Releasing species not native to an area is prohibited because it disrupts the existing ecological balance. Possible medium- and long-term negative consequences include overexploitation and depletion of vital resources (such as space and food) and the transmission of pathogens potentially dangerous to native species.

AMPHIBIANS IN THE PARK

Seven amphibian species are present in the Park, all of which can also be found in the San Rossore Estate.

These include the smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) and the Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex), which live in canals, pools and ponds.

The crested newt is among the fastest-declining amphibians in Europe: highly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation due to its limited ability to disperse, it is also an easy prey for invasive species that successfully colonise its preferred sites, such as the Louisiana crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).

The Balearic green toad (Bufotes balearicus), named for its bright green spots, is more widespread than the common toad (Bufo bufo) and frequents open wetlands, especially where soils are loose and sandy.

Frogs are also well represented:

• the green frog (Pelophylax bergeri–hispanica) inhabits waterways and ponds
• the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) is found near woodlands
• finally, the Italian tree frog (Hyla intermedia) with its unmistakable call and bright green colour, prefers reed beds and reparian vegetation.

Text by Marco A.L. Zuffi, Natural History Museum, University of Pisa.

Dromedaries and horses

DROMEDARIES IN SAN ROSSORE

In the Middle Ages, exotic animals in this region were not unusual: they were among the gifts commonly exchanged between European and Middle Eastern courts. The presence of dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) in Pisa is therefore a sign of the city’s ancient ties with the Arab world, characterised by intense cultural and commercial relations.

A true dromedary breeding programme began only in the late 1600s, when the Medici brought about twenty animals from Tunisia to San Rossore. The coastal terrain of the Estate – with its long sandy dune ridges alternating with marshy depressions (lame) – did not allow the construction of stable roads, and dromedaries proved perfectly suited for transport. They adapted easily and offered additional advantages, such as frugal feeding needs and the usefulness of their hair and meat.

The Lorraine inherited the herd and continued to use it for transporting timber, pine cones and hay for stable animals. In 1789, the population reached its peak with 196 individuals. Numerous photographs from the Savoy family albums show their role as play companions for the royal family.

In 1885, King Umberto I had a building constructed near the mouth of the Arno – the Boschetto – sized to house them properly.

World War II marked the disappearance of the San Rossore dromedary population, all of which were slaughtered to feed civilians and armies.
In the 1960s, a campaign was launched to reintroduce dromedaries to the Estate, which occurred thanks to the University of Pisa as part of a project by the Department of Veterinary Sciences.

In 2014, during the Agesci National Route, scouts donated three individuals to the Park: one male and two females.

The poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, during his stays along the coastline between the mouth of the Arno and the Versilian pinewoods, noticed the dromedaries and dedicated to them the poem I Cammelli, included in the third book of the Laudi, Alcyone, published in 1903.

SEMI-FERAL HORSES

Two semi-feral horse herds also live in the Boschetto area: the Italian Heavy Draft horses (Tiro Pesante Rapido – TPR) and the Monterufolini, equine breeds representing a valuable heritage of Italian rural culture.

TPR horses are large, powerful animals with a noble and elegant bearing. They played a significant role in agricultural economies before mechanisation and testify to the importance of horses in Italy’s rural past. Their combination of strength and speed makes them a versatile breed, suitable also for recreational activities.

Monterufolini horses originate from the Monterufoli Estate in the metalliferous hills of Tuscany.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Gherardesca counts selected the breed by crossing small wild horses with Maremmano, Tolfetano and Oriental stallions. Traditionally multifunctional, the Monterufolino was used mainly by merchants and estate stewards, either for riding or light draft work. Its frugal diet and hardiness make it suitable for free-range breeding.

Today, the breed is endangered: only about 400 individuals remain in Italy. Thanks to its extensive land, the Park can host them, preserving both the species and the genotype of this local breed. 

Text and images adapted from Fascetti G.R., “I cammelli di Pisa. Magnifica Presenza”, Edizioni ETS, 2014.

The Park and its Estates

The Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli Regional Park is a coastal strip about 30 km long and between 5 and 10 km wide.

It covers 23,000 hectares across two Tuscan provinces: Lucca and Pisa. It was established in 1979 by regional law. Its administration is entrusted to the Park Authority, which manages it autonomously with the involvement of the relevant local authorities.

The Park is composed of a mosaic of landscapes: heavily urbanised areas dotted with infrastructure, towns, economic, agricultural and tourist activities, but also numerous natural environments that are almost intact and highly diverse, precious refuges for plant and animal species living relatively undisturbed.

The Park’s territory has historically been divided into Estates (Tenute), each with its own environmental features and specific vocations.

TENUTA BORBONE

Owned by the Municipality of Viareggio, this area has suffered from flooding and marsh formation since ancient times, problems later resolved through various reclamation works. Towards the end of the 1600s, the pine forest that still stands today behind the beach between Viareggio and Torre del Lago was planted. The Estate takes its name from Maria Luisa of Bourbon who, after becoming Duchess of Lucca in 1817, intended to turn the area into a small royal residence. Of the original project, she managed to complete only a “tree-lined vista” – today’s Viale dei Tigli – and the hunting lodge, now Villa Borbone.

The Estate includes: the Lecciona Nature Reserve and the Guidicciona Nature Reserve.

TENUTE DEL LAGO E PADULE DI MASSACIUCCOLI

Lake Massaciuccoli and the surrounding marshlands form the largest retrodunal wetland in Tuscany, the remnant of an ancient coastal lagoon set within a large depression created during the formation of the Apennines. The lake basin has been drastically reduced over the centuries due to continuous reclamation works. Wetlands are among the richest environments in terms of fauna, and over 200 bird species can be observed here across the various habitats.

The village of Massaciuccoli dates back to Roman times, and on the hillside there are remains of a residential complex from the 1st century AD. The most important settlement, Torre del Lago, was long the home of the famous composer Giacomo Puccini.

The Estate includes: the Northern Marsh Nature Reserve, the Chiarone Nature Reserve – Lipu Oasis Massaciuccoli, the Chiuso del Lago – Guisciona Nature Reserve, and the archaeological area of Roman Massaciuccoli.

TENUTA DI MIGLIARINO

Located in the municipality of Vecchiano, it has been owned by the Salviati family since the 1500s. Following major reclamation works, thousands of stone pines were planted in the mid-19th century, radically transforming a landscape previously dominated by Mediterranean scrub and holm oak woodland. The Salviati family made pine nut harvesting a highly profitable activity. Today the Estate is a large agricultural and horticultural enterprise. The beach of Marina di Vecchiano is the most important stretch of sandy dunes in the Park and is freely accessible.

The Estate includes: the Bufalina Nature Reserve, the Bocca di Serchio Nature Reserve, the Bozzone Nature Reserve and the Fiumaccio Nature Reserve.

TENUTA DI SAN ROSSORE

Located west of the city of Pisa, the Estate is almost entirely enclosed by natural boundaries that have preserved its integrity over the centuries. It is bordered to the north and south by two freshwater rivers, the Serchio and the Arno; its western boundary is defined by the Tyrrhenian Sea for 11.5 km. Its maximum width is about 5.5 km. The Estate contains a great variety of environments and, consequently, extraordinary biological diversity.

Within it are areas of exceptional natural value: the Palazzetto Nature Reserve, the Paduletto Nature Reserve, the San Bartolomeo Forest Nature Reserve and the Lame di Fuori Nature Reserve.

TENUTA DI TOMBOLO

The name derives from tumulus, referring to the coastal dune ridges formed by the constant deposition of river sediments. In 1606, the area was affected by the “Ferdinandean Cut”, a massive hydraulic project to straighten and widen the mouth of the Arno to prevent frequent flooding in the city. From the second half of the 19th century, the Estate underwent intense coastal urbanisation, with the first seaside settlements and the creation of Tirrenia and Calambrone around 1930.

After the war, large areas were granted to the United States, which established Camp Darby, while others were assigned to the Italian Armed Forces, who founded the Interforce Centre for Military Studies and Applications (CISAM). The remaining area was granted by the State Property Office for perpetual and free use to the University of Pisa, which turned it into an agricultural estate, now the Enrico Avanzi Centre for Agro Environmental Research.

The Estate includes: the WWF Oasis Dune di Tirrenia, the WWF Oasis and Cornacchiaia Nature Reserve, and the Tre Pini educational trail.

TENUTA DI COLTANO E CASTAGNOLO

In the 16th century, Grand Duke Cosimo I built the Medici Villa here, while under the Savoy, Coltano became one of the royal hunting estates. On 19 November 1911, in the newly inaugurated radio station, scientist Guglielmo Marconi sent his greetings to Nova Scotia (Canada), over 4,500 miles away. It was the first time a wireless transmission covered such a distance. Marconi chose Coltano because the terrain features a marked depression, functioning as a natural parabolic antenna.

Originally marshy, Coltano took on a predominantly agricultural vocation after major hydraulic works in the early 1900s – a role it still maintains today.

The Estate includes: the Bosco degli Allori Nature Reserve.

Text adapted from “Orientarsi nel Parco”, edited by Taverni M. with contributions by Strata M., Edizioni ETS, Pisa 2009, and from Meucci G., Castelli R. and Giuntini A., “Storia illustrata di un Parco”, Pacini Editore, Pisa 2014

Organic Honey Farm – Sapori Mediterranei

The Sapori Mediterranei farm was founded in 1995 from Donatella Baldi’s passion for the world of bees. It produces organic honey with the aim of protecting the environment and creating high-quality products. The apiaries and the honey extraction and processing laboratory are located within the San Rossore Estate. The company is certified by the Consortium for the Control of Organic Products (Consorzio Controllo Prodotti Biologici – CCPB).

Alongside the classic wildflower honey produced in the Estate’s woodland, two specialties stand out: 

BEACH HONEY

A honey produced organically only along the Park’s coastline (Marina di Torre del Lago, Marina di Vecchiano and San Rossore). Its aromatic profile comes from the flowering of typical dune plants, especially helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum), whose essential oils give the honey its distinctive fragrance and flavour. 

“LAME DI FUORI” HONEY

In the San Rossore Estate, the “Lame di Fuori” are a unique environment where seawater lies just a few metres from freshwater rising to the surface in winter in the lowest areas (the so called “lame”). Dune plants – such as beach couch grass, sea chamomile, sea holly, sea alfalfa and the beautiful sea lily – grow alongside salt marsh species like limonium, which colours the area blue and violet in summer. Bees collect nectar from this unusual floral mix, giving life to this special honey. 

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Sapori Mediterranei has long offered educational activities for school groups and collaborates with the University of Pisa on various research initiatives. It also develops introductory beekeeping projects and training courses for adults. Visitors can book sessions to learn about the company’s work and discover the fascinating world of bees. All necessary equipment is provided to allow safe, close-up observation of the insects. The experience ends with a tasting of the different types of honey produced by Sapori Mediterranei.

Contacts – Sapori Mediterranei (Donatella Baldi)

e-mail: baldi@saporimediterranei.eu

phone:  +39 333 7546040

Equestrian environmental education centre – Equitiamo

Equitiamo is a long-standing presence within the San Rossore Estate, contributing to the promotion of equestrian culture and the enhancement of local traditions and landscapes.

For adults, it offers a riding school and guided horseback tours inside the Estate. Tours are led by a qualified equestrian environmental guide and take small groups into the most remote areas, normally inaccessible without a guide, to discover forests and unique landscapes. Participants must be at least 14 years old.

For children and young people, Equitiamo offers many opportunities for direct contact with nature in an open-air “green classroom” full of stimuli and discoveries. The pony school allows children aged 3 and up to take on a challenge suited to their abilities. In this playful natural setting, learning happens through physical experience.

Caring for a pony encourages flexible thinking and helps children develop interaction skills. The relationship with the pony fosters cooperation and teaches children to adjust their behaviour to connect with another living being, making learning an active and engaging process.

For schools, Equitiamo also develops educational projects exploring the relationship between children, animals and the natural environment, with goals such as autonomy, listening skills, concentration and awareness of one’s actions.

Contacts – Equitiamo (Valeria Gambogi)

e-mail: valeria.gambogi@virgilio.it

phone: +39 338 7887229 | +39 338 3662431