Centro Cicogne e Anatidi

Founded in December 1985 to bring the white stork back to Italy after a long decline in its Italian breeding population, the Centro Cicogne e Anatidi at Racconigi turned an experiment into a local emblem: storks now nest around the royal park, and the centre pairs them with its waterfowl collection in a green oasis.

Why it matters

Racconigi's project began in December 1985 to support the recovery of the white stork as a breeding species in Italy. It was established at Cascina Stramiano through the collaboration of LIPU and ornithologist Bruno Vaschetti. Four decades later the storks of Racconigi are a fixture of the town, nesting on rooftops and wheeling over the castle, one of the symbols of the species' return to Piedmont. The storks and waterfowl place the centre within a broader story of conservation and wetland recovery.

What to notice

• White storks and their bulky stick nests, where adults rear their young.
• The nesting behaviour on the centre's structures and on town rooftops — the visible proof of the reintroduction's success.
• The anatidi, the ducks and other waterfowl that give the centre its full name, kept in ponds and enclosures across the oasis.
• The relationship between ponds, wet ground and the birds that use these habitats.
• The conservation purpose linking the stork project with the protection of other waterbirds.

Context and history

The centre was born in December 1985 as a reintroduction project for the white stork, with the aim of rebuilding its presence as a nesting species. At Racconigi the first storks were hosted at the Cascina Stramiano farmhouse, north-west of the royal park, in a rural area of woods and wet ground now recognised for its conservation value. Released birds began nesting in the wild, and the colony took hold to the point that storks today are part of the town's identity, associated with the recovery of the species. The project later expanded to waterfowl conservation and the restoration of wetland habitats for migratory birds.