Marano and Grado lagoons are a unique place. The laggons begin at one side with Isonzo river and end at the other side with Tagliamento river, therefore being 32 km long, 5 km large. Altogether they measure 16.000 hectares.
Lagoons are closed to the sea by isles and sand isles. Marano lagoon, which lays in the west, is very rich of water since here end all major rivers of the region.A great variety of flowers live at the mouth of the greatest of these rivers, Stella river.In the reed beds live a great variety of aquatic birds, who find here home and food.
The whole mouth of Stella river, 1423 hectares big, constitutes the Marano Oasis, born by will of Region Friuli Venezia Giulia on the 25.th of June, 1976.Marano city and WWF together watch the Oasis so that no hunting is allowed within the Oasis.
The importance of this area around Stella River has been declared on the 11.th of April, 1979 with a State Law that declares: this zone is of international value for aquatic birds, as per Ramsar convention.
Today the Oasis is a “Natural Regional Zone” with the name “Mouth of Stella River”.
At the mouth of the River you can still find “casoni”, which are typical houses made in straw.
The casoni speak of ancient times.
They were used in the past by fishers, when boats, named “batele”, moved too slowly and hardly in the lagoon.
They were used so that fishers could live all week in those casoni, avoiding to move slowly and hardly.
Casoni were of course made with the typical product of the lagoon, that is reed beds.
Today inhabitants are using them for different reasons than fishing, but although they could use modern materials, they still build them the traditional way.
