Stagni di Focognano, Protected wetland area in Campi Bisenzio, Italy.
The Stagni di Focognano is a 65-hectare wetland in Campi Bisenzio holding about 20 hectares of water across five ponds: Calvana, Morello, Calice, Acqualunga and Focognano. Calvana and Monte Morello stay flooded year-round while the others fill seasonally, and three small marshy pools shelter amphibians. Reed beds, sedge, yellow iris, poplars and willows line the water.
The Stagni di Focognano were elevated to a protected nature area in 1997, not 1995, and entrusted to WWF Italia. The ponds combine remnants of the ancient marshes that once covered the Florence-Prato-Pistoia plain with artificial pools formed in pits left by excavation for the A1 and A11 motorways, the railway and the capping of the Case Passerini landfill. Drainage works of the Fascist period and later urban growth erased almost all the plain's marshland, leaving this one of the few stretches that kept its original marshy appearance.
The reserve is managed by WWF Italia, which runs guided visits and an educational classroom on site. School classes and groups can book visits on weekdays outside the regular weekend openings. The black-winged stilt is the symbol of the oasis.
This area is best visited from September through May when pathways are manageable and migratory birds are present. Plan to enter from the access point on Viale Primaldo Paolieri where you can safely leave your vehicle and begin walking the reserve.
The five ponds are named Calvana, Morello, Calice, Acqualunga and Focognano; only Calvana and Monte Morello hold water all year, while the others fill seasonally. The black-winged stilt is the reserve's symbol, and three small marshy patches built with micro-refuges shelter tree frogs and crested and spotted newts.
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