Few natural areas tell the story of water like the Torbiere del Sebino, a jewel of biodiversity that extends for 360 hectares on the southern shore of Lake Iseo, in the province of Brescia, between the municipalities of Iseo, Provaglio d’Iseo and Corte Franca. When you walk along the wooden walkways that cross this reserve, you literally walk suspended between sky and water, immersed in a fragile and precious ecosystem.
From the swamps to the black gold of Franciacorta
The history of the peat bogs has its roots in a distant past. At the end of the last ice age, between seventy thousand and ten thousand years ago, the retreat of the waters of Lake Iseo left a marshy depression, in which over time a thick layer of peat accumulated, organic material which became precious for the local economy. From the end of the eighteenth century, when it was discovered that dried peat had a higher calorific value than wood, intensive extraction began. Peat fed the spinning mills of Iseo, heated the houses and even the trains of the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo railway until the First World War.
Obviously, mining activity radically transformed the landscape, with canals, basins and lagoons taking the place of the original marshy meadows. In the 1950s, interest in peat declined and excavations began for clay, intended for the production of bricks. Only in the Seventies, with the introduction of the first environmental constraints, did exploitation cease and nature regained the upper hand.
A wetland of global importance
Today the peat bogs represent the most important wetland in the province of Brescia in terms of extension and ecological relevance. The Lombardy Region has entrusted the management of the reserve to a consortium made up of the province of Brescia, the Sebino Mountain Community and the three municipalities involved. International recognition came with the Ramsar Convention, which protects wetlands of global importance, and with the inclusion in the Natura 2000 Network as a Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.
The mosaic of waters and reeds
The heart of the reserve is made up of the Lame, an expanse of canals and basins profiled by embankments, surrounded by thick reeds. Then there are the Lamette, a sort of peaty lagoon in direct contact with Lake Iseo, visible only from above as it is not accessible to visitors. The picture is completed by some tanks up to fifteen meters deep, the result of the excavations of clayey deposits, and cultivated fields that surround the protected area.
The fundamental element for the survival of this ecosystem is water. Without a constant level, aquatic vegetation would disappear and with it the entire food chain that supports local fauna would collapse. For this reason, the hydraulic management of the reserve requires continuous attention.
Water lilies and carnivorous plants
The flora of the peat bogs is varied, and includes many different species. We can name the white water lily (Nymphaea alba) the yellow nannufaro (Nuphar lutea), the broom grass (Hottonia palustris), the flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) and water clover (Menyanthes trifoliata), a perennial aquatic plant at risk of extinction. A botanical curiosity of some significance is the utricolaria, a carnivorous plant that floats thanks to vesicles with which it captures microorganisms.
The tree vegetation includes alders, typical of wetlands, poplars, plane trees and willows.
A birdwatching paradise
The fauna constitutes the beating soul of the reserve, and above all birdwatching enthusiasts will find a true paradise, with over thirty species of birds nesting among the reeds and bodies of water. The little grebe, the water rail, the warbler and the green reed warbler populate the reed belt, while other species such as the purple heron, the little bittern and the marsh harrier choose this area for reproduction.
The coot reaches a thousand presences in the winter months, when grebes, herons and various species of ducks also arrive. The pendulum nests among the isolated trees near the water, while finches, blackcaps and greenfinches live in the surrounding cultivated fields and vineyards.
Fish, amphibians and small mammals
The waters of the area are also home to numerous fish species. Pike, tench, rudd, carp, eel and perch populate canals and lagoons. Unfortunately, the introduction of alien species such as the catfish, which occurred about thirty-five years ago, and more recently the catfish, has altered the balance of the ecosystem, as they are very voracious fish that threaten the native species and represent a great challenge for conservation.
More discreet but no less important are the presence of amphibians and reptiles. How can we not mention the Lataste frog, an endemic species of northern Italy, which finds its ideal habitat here together with the tree frog and the Italian crested newt. Among the reptiles you can find the water snake, the wall lizard and the green lizard.
Mammals have greater difficulty living in the reserve due to the narrowness of the protected area and the lack of real forest. However, micromammals thrive, and we can mention the rice field mouse – the smallest European rodent, which builds its nest among the tufts of marsh grass – and the water vole, which frequents the more humid areas. Squirrels and shrews complete the picture.
Walking on water: the paths of the reserve
To explore the reserve there are three routes available:
Practical information for the visit
Access is subject to a fee with a symbolic ticket of two euros, which can be purchased from the automatic dispensers at the three main entrances. Residents of the municipalities of Corte Franca, Iseo and Provaglio d’Iseo enter for free, as do children under 8 years of age and people with disabilities. The reserve opens every day from dawn to dusk, including holidays. Neither pets nor bicycles are allowed (the paths are exclusively pedestrian), picnics and loud noises are prohibited and drones and other aircraft cannot be flown over the area.
For more information, we leave you to the official website of the place.
