Flora

The core of the oasis did not exist before 1800 – as a matter of fact, the sea washed the old Alberoni Fort. The beach, therefore, was created through the action of winds and sea currents after the dam at the Malamocco harbour’s mouth was built. The oasis includes a large stone and maritime pines grove that is currently being reconverted into broadleaf trees grove of manna ash trees and quercus ilex. White poplar thickets stretch over the area towards the golf course, around XIX century moated fortress ‘Batteria Rocchetta’ (near the current lighthouse).

Along the course, marram grass (whose name means ‘sand lover’) is highly visible. This gramineous plant with dense tufts and ending with a silver yellow panicle helps stabilize the mobile dunes by absorbing water and binding sand through its sturdy roots.

 

Fauna

Diverse fauna can also be met along the fairways. In addition to the ducks moving in team up to the Clubhouse, there are pheasants and grey herons. Specimen of Kentish plover (a bird nesting in the sand), or of puffin (hunting fish on the beach shore), sea-pie during migration times, bee-eater (colorful bird coming from Africa), Sardinian warbler and the cirl bunting that nestles in the pine grove, plus a very rare specimen, the goatsucker, a twilight bird appearing at sunset, whose fly resembles that of the hawk.

In the wooded areas, we find the golden oriole and the spotted woodpecker, the green woodpecker and the hoopoe. Near the fresh water area and the trenches, the kingfisher, the dwarf heron and the little bittern. But let us not forget the amphibian species, tree frog and green toad, and finally the growingly sociable nutria, looking for company between the green of hole 8 and near the ponds of holes 10 and 14.