Bosco Nordio

Bosco Nordio is one of the last fragments of coastal woodland in the upper Adriatic. The 113-hectare nature reserve protects dune forest, ponds and rare amphibians near the Chioggia littoral; it has been an integral nature reserve since 1971.

Why it matters

Bosco Nordio preserves a coastal landscape shaped by dunes, groundwater and woodland. Managed by Veneto Agricoltura since 1997, it forms part of the Natura 2000 network. The forest and dune system are among the last examples of this habitat on the northern Adriatic coast.

What to notice

Parallel dune ridges, about five metres high, run inland from the former coastline. Holm oak grows on the drier ridges, while pedunculate oak fills the damper hollows between them. Remnant pine stands reflect twentieth-century forestry. Open areas contain grey-dune habitat, including lichens of the Cladonia genus, mosses and plants adapted to dry sand. About fifteen ponds, fed by groundwater close to the surface, support amphibians including the pelobate fosco, or spadefoot toad, introduced through a conservation project. Terrapins were introduced by the State Forestry Corps in the 1970s. Birds recorded in the reserve include the wryneck, sparrowhawk, scops owl and golden oriole.

Context and history

The estate was known in earlier centuries as Fosson or Ceretto and was donated to the Nordio family in 1565. It was sold to the former State Forestry Company in 1959. A ministerial decree established the integral reserve in 1971; later measures in 1977, 1996 and 1998 consolidated its status before management passed to Veneto Agricoltura in 1997. Twentieth-century forestry introduced pine plantations, while holm-oak woodland characteristic of the fossil dunes remains part of the reserve's natural succession.