close

Dunes of Massenzatica

Mesola (FE)

Located in the inland area of Ferrara between the Po di Volano and the Po di Goro, the Massenzatica Fossil Dunes Oriented Nature Reserve protects a unique sequence of fossil dunes in the regional landscape that testifies to the position of an Adriatic coastline dating back to the Bronze Age, about 3000 years ago.

The gentle undulations of the terrain, covered by low grasslands, alternate with depressions covered by shrubs, and patches of woodland rise only a few meters above the flat countryside, but contrast sharply with the surrounding vast cultivated plain, a landscape vividly modified by human activity that has reclaimed the large marshy areas of the past.

The main creator of the dunes is the strong marine wind which, lifting and depositing the sand at the end of the beaches, favors the accumulation of the characteristic dune ridges. Once incorporated into the subsoil and no longer fed by coastal sand, a dune becomes fossilized and gradually tends to be dismantled by the same agent that created it, especially in areas without vegetation.

The dunes are of great importance because they are a testimony to an important stage of the Po Delta, which over the millennia has seen the slow advance of emerging lands at the expense of the sea. The elevated area of the dunes was also the site of the first local human settlements, as evidenced by archaeological finds.

Today the Adriatic Sea is several kilometers away and the dunes rise along a front of one and a half kilometers and an average width of four hundred meters, in a direction almost parallel to the current coastline.

The area preserves a generous biodiversity and serves as a shelter for various species, such as typical herbaceous plants called psammophytes that grow on these substrates, creating habitats favored by some reptiles and many invertebrates subject to research: beetles, hymenoptera, and lepidoptera, which in turn are a source of food for migratory birds such as the hoopoe and the bee-eater, linked to these now very rare environments.

VISITING HOURS AND PROCEDURES:
The Visitor Centre is open from 1 March to 30 June and from 1 September to 31 October on Saturdays and Sundays and on public holidays from 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. The area is fenced off and accessible to the public only by guided tours along pre-established routes, but it is possible to walk individually along a path that allows you to walk around the dunes and admire them from the outside.

FOR INFO AND BOOKINGS:
Occasionally, guided tours are organised for groups with educational routes, and the picturesque place also offers routes equipped for the visually impaired.

contact_support

Need more information?

Request informations for "Dunes of Massenzatica"

Aqua Lab Offline

Hi! 👋
If you need help or more information, you can also contact us quickly on WhatsApp

06:55
Informative

We and selected third parties use cookies or similar technologies for technical purposes and, with your consent, also for other purposes as specified in the .
If you close this banner with a tick or click on "Decline", only technical cookies will be used. If you want to select the cookies to be installed, click on 'Customise'. If you prefer, you can consent to the use of all cookies, including cookies other than technical cookies, by clicking on "Accept all". You can change your choice at any time.