Oasi naturalistica La Valle
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The “La Valle” Nature Oasis in San Savino

The “La Valle” Nature Oasis, located in San Savino, a hamlet of Magione, is a 1,000-hectare wetland reserve within the Trasimeno Lake Regional Park. Characterized by shallow waters and typical lakeside vegetation, it serves as a valuable habitat for resting and nesting birds along the migratory route stretching from Northern Europe to sub-Saharan Africa. Over 200 bird species have been recorded in the area.
In winter, coots, mallards, pochards, teals, grebes, and ferruginous ducks arrive from Northern Europe; in spring, species such as reed warblers, great reed warblers, purple herons, squacco herons, and night herons arrive from Africa to nest here; in autumn, starlings, swallows, and ospreys can be observed.

Visiting the Oasis: On Your Own or with an Environmental Education Guide

As an Environmental Education Centre, the “La Valle” Oasis is part of the INFEA network of the Regional Centre for Environmental Information, Documentation and Education.
Visitors can explore the Oasis independently—individually or in groups of up to nine people—or join a guided walk, offered weekly and particularly suitable for families. Additionally, guided tours by reservation are available for groups of at least ten people.

The site features a visitor centre with a teaching room, a science and education lab, a bird ringing station, observation points, and binoculars and spotting scopes for birdwatching. There is also a laboratory equipped with stereo microscopes and a documentation centre.

The area offers comfortable trails, accessible routes with Braille signage, a beautiful water lily garden, and a wooden walkway that stretches out over the lake.
And if you don’t have your own equipment—no problem! The center provides binoculars and scopes for spotting wildlife. For true nature enthusiasts, it’s also possible to stay overnight at the Foresteria, a guesthouse located in a restored 19th-century farmhouse that once housed the custodian of the nearby emissary. Renovated according to eco-friendly and sustainable standards, the guesthouse is open year-round and offers 12 beds.

Oasi naturalistica La Valle
Oasi naturalistica La Valle
Oasi naturalistica La Valle
Oasi naturalistica La Valle

A Curiosity: The Artificial Emissary of Lake Trasimeno

Near the reserve’s facilities, visitors can explore the remains of the ancient artificial emissary, commissioned by Braccio Fortebraccio, lord of Perugia from 1416 to 1424, to prevent flooding. This was later replaced by a more modern version at the end of the 19th century.
The original 15th-century structure was built upon an even older Roman construction, commissioned during the reign of Emperor Claudius. The Roman tunnel stretches for about one kilometre, mostly underground. However, it only partially resolved the flooding problems, to the extent that even Leonardo da Vinci studied the issue, proposing an ambitious – but never realised – project to divert the waters of both Lake Trasimeno and Lake Chiusi into the Tiber and Arno rivers.

In the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V attempted to divert two natural tributaries of Lake Trasimeno, the Tresa and the Rigo Maggiore, into Lake Chiusi, but this too proved ineffective.
Finally, between 1896 and 1898, thanks to the efforts of Cavaliere Guido Pompilij, Senator of the Kingdom and head of the land reclamation consortium, a new emissary was built. Running parallel to the earlier one, it extends for 7 kilometers. The ceremonial inauguration of the works took place on September 27, 1896, in the presence of numerous authorities.

Pompilij aimed to promote a new perception of the lake—as a healthy and pleasant place, in contrast to the prevailing views advocating for its drainage. To this end, he commissioned a photographic campaign by the Alinari company in Florence, publishing images in major newspapers of the time. Some of these images were later printed as postcards, which today are valuable artistic and historical records.

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