| The Alimini lakes, around 8km from the city of Otranto, take their name from “limne” a Greek word which means a lake or a pond. The two lakes, Alimini Grande and Fontanelle, make up one of the most striking natural locations in Puglia. The area was made into a Protected Oasis some years ago. Alimini Grande is a salt water basin. Generated by the continual erosion of the sea on a stretch of rocky coastline, its bed is rich in molluscs and other species of aquatic vegetables. Alimini Piccolo, or Fontanelle, is generated by several freshwater springs. The lakeside is inhabited by spontaneous vegetation of great naturalistic interest. Walking along the banks, you can glimpse exemplars of marsh orchids, water chestnuts and flatleaf or lesser bladderwort, a carnivorous grass able to catch insects. What's more, the bands are on the migratory paths of numerous species of aquatic beds, such as coots and pochards (dun-birds). The surrounding area is a vast sea of Aleppo pine trees planted by the State Forestry Corps in the 1900s. |