Excursions within Terre di Sacra have a naturalistic character. Terre di Sacra is situated within the borders of Lake of Burano’s WWF Oasis, which organizes walks, excursions and tours of the area.
Terre di Sacra is situated within Lake of Burano’s WWF Oasis. The Lake, that is actually a salty pond, stretches over 140 hectares. The Nature Reserve is about 410 hectares wide as a whole and it includes an expanse of coast with sand dunes, the maquis and the lake.
Lake of Burano’s Oasis is characterized by being a pond separated from the sea only by a narrow strip of sand dunes. The lake is surrounded by thick reed beds: they are the ideal resting place for 274 bird species inhabiting the reserve or looking for a sheltered spot by during migrations.
Lake of Burano’s Oasis has been the first established in Italy by WWF and that is also why excursions at Terre di Sacra and the Nature Reserve are always so fascinating.
Excursions of the Nature Reserve depart from WWF’s Visitor Center, near the lake. Here you can learn more about local flora and fauna and about WWF’s activities around the world as well as meet naturalistic guides that will accompany during the tours.
From the pier at the visitor center, you can watch the lake and birds inhabiting the Oasis. Some of them, like swans and seagulls, are familiar to us. Some others might be completely unknown like grebes and common pochards and some, like cormorants and pink flamingos, might have been watched only on TV documentaries.
Excursions at Terre di Sacra and at the Oasis have been designed to get children, and not only them, to know local flora and fauna. The first exercise individuals and groups are asked to make is to remain silent for 30 seconds. This exercise is fundamental for the excursion to succeed and for visitors to enter the right state of mind as observers.
At Terre di Sacra, as well as at WWF’s Oasis, the real luxury is silence.
Excursions follow paths running along the lake to reach observation hides. From the hides, naturalistic guides will show you where you can spot animals hiding in reed beds or near the water. With the help of binoculars, you can watch families of mallards, herons and admire the beautiful ospreys spread their wide wings in the sky.
You cannot miss the Buranaccio Tower during your excursions at Terre di Sacra. This is the southernmost Tower of Tuscany’s Tyrrhenian coast.
The Tower we can visit today dates back to the Sixteenth Century but it is very likely to have been preceded by a medieval Tower. Its function was to guard and defend the territory.
Near the Tower, a canal let the lake’s water flow into the sea.
Buranaccio Tower is an enchanted place where time seems to stand still. Vegetation in this part of the Oasis is made of Mediterranean maquis and beach. Near the Tower, you can see sea daffodils, Phoenicean and prickly junipers and different types of lichens.
From Terre di Sacra’s villas and cottages you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Lake of Burano, Buranaccio Tower and listen to the sound of the sea.
