The Fucecchio Marshes: The Fucecchio Marshes are a wetland of wide naturalistic interest and form, with its 1.800 hectares between the boundaries of the Florentine and Pistoiese Provinces, the Italian largest inland wetland.

Situated in the boundary of the peninsular region with a Mediterranean climate and the Continental one, in the Fucecchio Marshes we can find, at the same time, plants which adapted themselves to different climates very well. Some of them are regarded as extremely rare such as: Utricolaria Australis, a floating carnivorous plant; Nymphoides Peltata; Salvinia Natans, a water floating fern and Sphagnum, remains of glacial micro-thermal climate.

Owing to their geographical position, among the coastal wetlands and the Apennines, the Marshes form a basic area for the migratory birds which stop there for a short time. The sheets of water, the large reed thickets and the woody areas house a great deal of bird species (more than 180 species have been discovered up to now), above all in springtime and throughout the reproduction cycle. Very great importance is given to Ardeidae, which make up, at the edge of the Marshes, the most important heronry (nesting colony) in the southern central Italy, both for the number of the nesting pairs and the contemporary presence of four species: night heron, egret, squacco heron and the rarest cattle egret.

The naturalistic value of this wetland is increased by its close proximity to other very valued areas: the mountainous chain of Montalbano, Cerbaie Hills and Sibolla Bog.

The evidence of man's work and the importance that this wetland had on the local economy in the past are still significant: canals, harbour system, industrial archaeological buildings such as the tobacco drying-houses or the "Capannone" Farm and, above all, the Cappiano Bridge. There are still some residual handicraft activities concerning the picking and the weaving of marsh-herbs.

To carry out the naturalistic, historical and environmental emergencies in the Fucecchio Marshes, The Province of Pistoia established a Natural Reserve which preserves some areas of this marshy basin.

Research Centre: The information published on this page was kindly put at our disposal by the Research Centre, Record and Promotion of the Fucecchio Marshes, a centre which actively deals with all the aspects related to the preservation and conservation of such wetland and other environmental emergencies from our provinces, also ensuring the possibility of making interesting guided tours. This Research Centre, Record and Promotion of the Fucecchio Marshes, ONLUS Association, was established at the end of 1990 on the initiative of the Province of Pistoia and with the contribution of the Tuscan Region. The purpose of this Association is to promote activities which can facilitate the conservation and increase the value of the historical, naturalistic and environmental qualities of the Fucecchio Marshes and Sibolla Bog, as wetlands of national and international interest, as well as other natural environments to the north of Tuscany, with special regard to the Arno basin. On the e-mail page you will find all the instructions to put directly in touch with the staff of the Research Centre, to ask for all that kind of information that, owing to the structure of this website, we will not be able to give you.

For further information, please visit the section of the site dedicated to the "Wetlands" in Tuscany, directly run by the Research Centre, Record and Promotion of the Fucecchio Marshes.

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Centre for Research e-mail address: fucecchio@zoneumidetoscane.it