At every turn the lands of Siena are ready to amaze with their historical, artistic and naturalistic richness and their food and wine. Montalcino, a delightful village already renowned throughout the world for its fine wine, is surrounded by the sinuous and fascinating hills of the Val d'Orcia Unesco World Heritage Site, these are hills predominantly and harmoniously forged by the hand of man, which give way at times to the wild oases and of a particular natural value.
Just like the Bogatto Natural Reserve, an area of about 586 hectares where nature thrives undisturbed; it was established in 2008 creating continuity with the adjacent Basso Merse Natural Reserve. It is located on the outskirts of Montalcino and protects the particular and important fluvial habitat of the Ombrone River, at its confluence with the Merse River. The environment it accommodates consists mainly of typical Mediterranean vegetation punctuated by ilex groves and sclerophyll bushes, sometimes also by coniferous forests, mainly pines, which were planted to ensure consistency with the barren slopes of the hills that were hit by frequent fires in the middle of the last century. But the most valuable habitat is that which develops in the so-called riparian area, that is, the one in close proximity to the river, populated by willows, poplars and numerous animal species, especially birds, that here, thanks to the very low anthropogenic presence, thrive and find food and shelter.
