San Leopoldo Canal

The San Leopoldo outfall canal is also known as Fiumara and is part of that huge land reclamation project initiated by Grand Duke Leopold II of Lorraine in 1828. That project involved a portion of the territory once occupied by Lake Prile and in particular that part that lay between Marina di Grosseto and Castiglione della Pescaia.

The San Leopoldo Canal flows through a very special environment on the edge of the WWF nature oasis known as the San Felice Oasis; it has itself developed a rich and varied biotope ranging from the pine forest environment to the backdune and dune in a succession of tree (pine), shrub (heather multiflora, juniper and phillyrea) and herbaceous (helichrysum, sea lily and maritime artemisia) species. There are numerous bird species including jays, sea jays, owls, scops owls, herons and egrets.

The San Leopoldo outfall is also closely linked to the history of the area because it was the scene on June 12, 1944, of one of the bloodiest pages in the history of the area. Six people belonging to the Falzini, Botarelli and Lari families, partisans, who were attempting to blow up the bridge to halt the Nazi advance, were killed at the hydraulic tollgate.

A walk along the San Leopoldo Canal is a combination of the history of our area and the beautiful natural environments that are part of it.