05/08/2026
The Grado Lagoon is one of the most fascinating coastal ecosystems in the Northern Adriatic. Its shallow, muddy seabed has been shaped over thousands of years by sediments carried by rivers such as the Isonzo and Tagliamento, together with the constant action of the tides.
This unique environment is a brackish ecosystem, where freshwater from inland rivers mixes with saltwater from the Adriatic Sea. These conditions create the perfect habitat for an extraordinary variety of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, aquatic plants, and migratory birds.
The lagoon is also characterized by three distinctive environments:
🌱 Salt marshes (barene), which remain above the average high tide.
🌾 Tidal mudflats (velme), exposed only during low tide.
🌊 Channels and lagoon inlets, which stay underwater and allow seawater to circulate with every tide, continuously renewing the lagoon.
This delicate balance between land and sea makes the Grado Lagoon one of the most valuable and biodiverse wetlands in Italy a landscape to discover, admire, and protect. 💙
