Italy: Po Delta and Ravenna
Birding and culture
The ancient city of Ravenna was founded upon a group of sand-hills, washed by the sea and surrounded by marshes. Perhaps this explains why so many of the city's world-famous mosaics contain images of many birds readily identifiable today.
It's doubtful anyone has ever gone birdwatching in the churches and basilicas of Ravenna, but that's just what we're going to do! We have come up with a wonderful tour which includes birdwatching as we know it (and the Po Delta is a splendid place to do just that) with "birding the basilicas". We'll enjoy lots of time in wild open spaces but also explore the historical places of the area, rounding it all off with excellent food and wine in the Italian tradition.
Situated on the Adriatic coast between Venice in the north and Ravenna in the south, Italy's Po Delta Park is a vast wetland created by the River Po which runs across northern Italy to its estuary.
Many of its tributaries criss-cross the region giving a mixture of habitats such as salt pans, lagoons, dunes, beaches and pinewoods which harbour a wide variety of birds, flowers and other wildlife. The birdwatching is excellent, offering opportunities to see birds in very good numbers and at close quarters. Water birds predominate - all kinds of herons, bitterns, Pygmy Cormorants and Flamingos to name but a few - but we'll also be hoping to see some of the wonderful European species such as Bee-eater, Golden Oriole and Red-footed Falcon.
The entire region is rich in historic towns. Many of Ravenna's churches date from the 5th century AD when the city was the capital of the Roman Empire in the West, and we'll devote a full day to exploring and enjoying the feast of culture to the full. On other days we'll break up our birdwatching with visits to less well known towns such as the fascinating medieval town of Ferrara, giving a balance between birding and culture thus offering the perfect holiday for the all-rounder.
