Giardino Botanico Litoraneo di Porto Caleri

The Giardino Botanico Litoraneo di Porto Caleri is a botanical garden spread across roughly 23 hectares on a sandbank between the Adige river and the Po di Levante. The site displays the natural vegetation of this coastal zone with its characteristic plants and ecosystems.

The garden project was created in 1990 to protect the coastal landscape and its natural biodiversity. Its founding brought together regional forestry authorities and a university to combine scientific research with practical conservation.

The garden's name reflects its position along a narrow coastal strip where sand and salt shape all life forms. Visitors walking the paths encounter plants adapted to harsh maritime conditions, from marram grass stabilizing dunes to shrubs that thrive in salty air.

The site is accessible via marked walking paths that lead through different sections of the dune landscape. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for sandy trails, especially when weather is windy or wet.

The site holds a rare collection of beach orchids that have adapted to lean, salty sandy soils. These plants are hard to find elsewhere and display some of the most extreme adaptations to coastal living.