Wetland of the Margherita di Savioa

In the flat heart of Daunia, on the border between the provinces of Foggia and Bari, lie the salines of Margherita di Savoia, the largest in Europe, mentioned as early as the 3rd century B.C.

The suggestive expanse of evaporating basins and saline canals winds parallel to the coast for about twenty kilometres between Margherita, Trinitapoli and Zapponeta, and extends inland with a width that varies from 2 to 5 km and absorbs what remains of the great Salpi Lake, which has undergone major land reclamation projects.

The suggestive expanse of evaporating basins and saline canals winds parallel to the coast for about twenty kilometres between Margherita, Trinitapoli and Zapponeta, and extends inland with a width that varies from 2 to 5 km and absorbs what remains of the great Salpi Lake, which has undergone major land reclamation projects.

Nesting in the protected damp zone are the blackwinged stilt, the little tern and the avocet. There are also herons and swamp birds of prey and, at times, the pink flamingo and the royal swan can be seen. Under the rays of the sun, in the salty basins, the water is tinted with the characteristic reddish colour; from August to November the salt is gathered in the basins which become white like snowy fields, in a landscape of dream-like charm. Finally, there are the waters rich in chloride, bromide and iodine which make Margherita di Savoia an important and well-equipped spa resort.