Regional Nature Reserve THE DUINO CLIFFS

Regional Nature Reserve

THE DUINOCLIFFS

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-Falesie di Duino ing.qxd 26-05-2009 12:32 Pagina 1

PRESENTATIONThe Cliffs of Duino are a goodexample of legal recognition ofenvironmental protection, butabove all they are an example ofnatural balance, preservation ofthe environment and touristattraction. A hearty welcome to anybody whowants to share their great valuestogether with what surroundsthem and makes the area of DuinoAurisina- Devin Nabrezina reallyworth visiting: beauty, history, cul-ture and the big effort to create anideal environment in order to offerthe best hospitality.

MAYOR OF THE MUNICIPALITY OFDUINO AURISINA – DEVIN NABREZINA

COMM. GIORGIO RET

The Regional Nature Reserve ofthe Cliffs of Duino is not only thesuperb entrance point of themunicipality of Duino Aurisinabut it is also a unique place fromwhere you can enjoy the enchanti-ng beauty of the Gulf of Trieste.The management of the Reserve isa concrete example of how thepreservation of nature should andhas to go hand in hand with con-scious and modern touristfruition. Anybody who is going tovisit the Reserve is also invited toexplore the remaining part of themunicipality of Duino Aurisina,which is rich in nature, history andhigh quality enogastronomicproducts.

THE COUNCILLOR FOR THEENVIRONMENT AND NATURE RESERVES

FULVIO TAMARO


THE RESERVEThe Duino Cliffs Regional NatureReserve was set up with RegionalLaw No 42 of 30th September1996. It includes a high steep lime-stone coastline, the sea band infront of it and a narrow band ofthe Carso plateau, covering a totalsurface of 107 hectares. TheReserve belongs to the Municipali-ty of Duino-Aurisina(Obƒina Devin-Nabre-Δina) and is in thejurisdiction of theDuino-Aurisina sta-tion of forest rangers.The Reserve is set in an area of out-standing natural beauty. The pas-sage from Middle European bio-geographic domain to Mediter-ranean domain takes place alongthe Trieste coast, which includesthe Reserve. Beside this, the Carsoplateau is a transition areabetween two regions of the Mid-dle European domain: Alpineand Illyrian. Central Euro-pean, Illyrian-Balkan andMediterranean animaland plant speciesthus live here. Thearea shows a highbiodiversity, that isa high number ofspecies in proportionto the size of the area.The Duino Cliffs are

the only world locationof the blue-bonnet Cen-taurea kartschiana, aplant which grows on

the cliffs closest to the sea.Highly interesting are also land-

scape features: the white limestonerock is one of the main features ofthe Reserve, both in the form ofsingle towers along the coast androcks surfacing along the edges

shaped by superficialkarst phenomenasuch as grooves.

Along the cliffedges betweenDuino New Cas-tle and Sistiana

Bay, runningalongside the re-

mains of militaryemplacements,

winds theRilke path,

opened in1987, which offers

a broad view of the Gulf of Trieste,from the mouth of the IsonzoRiver to Cap Savudrija in Croatia.

TThhee cclliiffffssffrroomm tthhee sseeaa..

P. LENARDON

SSaaggee ((SSaallvviiaaooffffiicciinnaalliiss)) iinn

fflloowweerr oonn tthheeDDuuiinnoo cclliiffffss..

TThhee cclliiffffss ffrroommtthhee sseeaa..

P. LENARDON

CCeennttaauurreeaakkaarrttsscchhiiaannaa..

J. MIKULETIC


DDuuiinnoo NNeewwCCaassttllee.. RRiillkkee ppaatthh..

VVEE--UUDD

DDUUIINNOODDEEVVIINN

RR

NNeeww CCaassttllee


SSiissttiiaannaa BBaayy..

AA44

SSSS 1144SSIISSTTIIAANNAASSEESSLLJJAANN

CCaammppiinngg

The Duino Cliffs Regional Nature Reserve

BBaayy ooff SSiissttiiaannaa

AAddrriiaattiicc SSeeaa

RRiillkkee ppaatthh

E. MISSIO


PROTECTIONThe Duino Cliffs are one of the areasof outstanding natural beautydesignated by national law No442/1971 (the Belci law) and wereproposed as a protected area.In 1978 the Duino Cliffs wereincluded in the “F.4 Coastal Strip”protected area of the GeneralRegional Town and Land Planwhich proposed to the RegionalAdministration the setting up of76 protected areas and 14 regionalparks - a proposal hitherto notacted upon.Article 49 of regional law No 42 of

1996 set up the Duino CliffsRegional Nature Reserve, includ-ing the area already outlined bythe Belci law. According to art. 3 ofregional law 42/96 a RegionalNature Reserve includes an areamarked by its high natural valueand it has mainly conservationobjectives. Art. 55 of the same lawenvisages the setting up of anational and international pro-tected nature area in the Carso,which will also include the DuinoCliffs Regional Nature Reserve.The Duino Cliffs Regional NatureReserve, together with the shore-line of the Sistiana Bay, has been

TThhee nnaattuurreeooff tthhee

DDuuiinnoo cclliiffffss..

J. MIKULETIC


proposed as a Site of communityimportance (SCI). These sites areenvisaged by European Communi-ty Directive 92/43 which lays downthat Union Members States desig-nate areas in their territories host-ing animal and plant species andhabitats listed in the Directiveenclosures. The conservation ofthese species and habitats is con-sidered an European priority. Sitesof community importance willbelong to an European network ofprotected areas called Natura2000.The Duino Cliffs were included inthese areas because they are theonly example of high cliffs in theItalian Northern Adriatic Coastand the only world habitat of theendemic plant Centaureakartschiana.As regards animals, theDuino Cliffs are the northernbiogeographic limit of the distri-bution area of some bird speciestypical for the Mediterranean,such as the Sardinian warbler(Sylvia melanocephala), the Sub-alpine warbler (Sylvia cantillans)and the blue rock-thrush (Montico-la solitarius).The Duino Cliffs are also the west-ernmost point of the distributionarea of the cat snake (Telescopus fal-lax).Access to the part of the Reservecomprised be-tween the Rilkepath and theseashore was for-bidden in 1984 bya series of ordersfrom the Mayor of Duino-Aurisi-

na. Among other things,these forbid vehicle transit onthe Rilke path, disturbingwild animals in the area

crossed by the path, taking dogsoff the leash and the use of radios,tape recorders and the like in theDuino pine-wood.

AA ggrroooovveeddlliimmeessttoonneerroocckk wwaallll..

VViieeww oonn tthheeDDuuiinnoo CClliiffffss

aatt tthhee bbeeggiinnnniinnggooff tthhee 2200tthh cceennttuurryy

I.TUTA COLLECTION


GEOMORPHOLOGYAND LIMESTONEThe limestone of the Duino Cliffsformed in the Cretaceaous (ap-proximately 100 million years ago),when shells of planktonic animalsdeposited on the sea bottom,which then petrified. Approxi-mately 30 million years ago earththrusts and movements caused thesea bottom to rise and emerge. Pe-trified layers rose inclined or verti-cally, as happened along the Trie-ste coastline. Vertical rock layersalong the underlying coast, someof them in the form of single to-wers, can be observed walking alongthe Rilke path in the Duino Cliffs.When exposed to air and rain,

limestone under-goes dissolutionand, according

to its composition, either dis-solves or fragments. Betweenvertical layers and smoothwalls there are screes com-

VVeerrttiiccaall llaayyeerrss

ooff lliimmeessttoonnee..GGrroooovveess

iinn tthheelliimmeessttoonnee..


posed of material ofvarious sizes derivingfrom the fragmentationof the rocks above.Along the path rock fields can beobserved, flat areas covered inpieces of fragmented rock. Theserock fields are set along compactrocks which do not break but areslowly dissolved by water trans-forming insoluble (limestone) intosoluble calcium carbonate. Raincombined with carbon dioxidecorrodes limestone. Where waterflows quickly on the surface oflimestone rocks, it forms grooves.Where rocks are flatter and waterstays longer, corrosion pools form.In some parts water manages toperforate the rock, forming holes.The effects of rain on limestone

(grooves, corrosion ponds, holes)are called superficial karst phe-nomena and can be observedclosely along the whole Rilke path.

AA lliimmeessttoonneettoowweerr aalloonngg

tthhee cclliiffffss..

LLiimmeessttoonneewwiitthh hhoolleess..


VEGETATIONThere are two principal environ-ments in the Reserve: a) the cliffswith rock walls and screes; b) theflat part on the plateau. The twoenvironments differ in terms ofboth climate and soil conditions.The part of the Reserve on theplateau is colder, as it is exposed tothe Bora, the cold east-north-eastwind. The cliffs enjoy a warmer cli-mate as they face south towardsthe sea and are sheltered from thewind.As a consequence, the two environ-ments have different types of vege-tation. On the warmer cliffs thereis Mediterranean vegetation, whileon the flat area there is an artificialwood of black pine withIllyrian-Balkan species(from the East)widespread

on the whole Carso plateau.The passage from one environ-ment to the other takes placealong the edge of the cliffs, wherethe Rilke path was built. From thepath both types of vegetation run-ning into each other and inter-twining and meshing can beobserved.The two environments are also dis-

tinguished by their soil types. Thecliffs are characterised by verticalor inclined rock walls, towers andscrees. The soil is poor in waterand earth and undergoes strongsummer insolation. The flatplateau has a more evolved soilwhich withholds humidity, thanksto the protective action of theblack pine foliage. As a conse-quence, woods developed herewhereas on the cliffs there are onlyfew strips of scrub alternating withscrees, scantily covered by grassand shrub.


TThhee RReesseerrvveessccrreeeess..

VVeeggeettaattiioonn..

LLeeggeenndd

PPiinnee--wwoooodd

RRoocckkss wwiitthh sshhrruubb

RRoocckkss vveeggeettaattiioonn aanndd ssttrriippssooff hhoollmm--ooaakk aanndd hhoopphhoorrnnbbeeaammwwoooodd

PPiinnee--wwoooodd iinn tthhee ccaammppiinngg


Vegetation on the cliffs

On the cliffs there isMediterranean maquis,whose main speciesis the holm-oak (Quer-

cus ilex), an evergreen oak ofMediterranean origin. On the Trie-ste coast, alongside the holm-oakis the european hophornbeam(Ostrya carpinifolia), a thermophiledeciduous species of Illyrian-Balkan origin. This plant combi-nation is called holm-oak andhophornbeam wood (Ostryo -Quercetum ilicis) and includes bothMediterranean and Illyrian-Balkanplants. This plant association canalso be found on the eastern Adri-atic coast, from Greece to the Lim-ski Kanal in Istria. It disappearsfrom the Limski Kanal to the Gulfof Trieste and reappears on theTrieste coast from Grignano, nearMiramare Castle, to Duino - thenorthernmost limit of diffusion ofthis type of vegetation. The holm-oak and hophornbeam woodbetween Grignano and Duino isisolated from themain body of thisvegetation on theeastern Adriatic

TThhee ppaarrttnneeaarr tthhee sseeaa

wwiitthh rroocckkvveeggeettaattiioonn..

P. LENARDON

TThhee hhoollmm--ooaakkaaccoorrnn..

D. OTA


coast and is con-sidered a separatebody, which hassurvived thanksto the favourablelocal climate, itsleeward position,the heat-reflect-ing effect of lime-stone rocks andthe temperateinfluence of thesea.The species ofMediterraneanorigin found inthe holm-oak andh o p h o r n b e a mwood of the Tri-este coast growon the cliffs tillthe edge and,apart from someindividual holm-oaks, do notspread on theplateau, where theclimate is toosevere. The fol-lowing are somespecies of plantsfound in thiswood, which are consideredthe most representative andeasily observable in theReserve. The first is the holm-oak (Quercus ilex) which can growto considerable heights. Anothertree on the cliffs is tree phillyrea(Phillyrea latifolia), while shrubsinclude the turpentine-tree (Pista-cia terebinthus) and Christ’s-thorn(Paliurus spina-christi). Along theRilke path it is easy to spot sarsa-

parilla (Smilax aspera), aMediterranean creeper. Thethermophile Illyrian-Balkanspecies living in this plant

association and growing both onthe plateau and the cliffs are thehophornbeam, manna-ash (Fraxi-nus ornus), Montpellier maple (Acermonspessulanum) and mahalebcherry (Prunus mahaleb).It is to be noted that some blackpines (Pinus nigra) grow even on

VVeeggeettaattiioonnoonn tthhee cclliiffffss..

D. OTA


TThhee RReesseerrvveessccrreeeess..

D. OTA

CChhrriisstt’’ss ttoorrnn(( PPaalliiuurruuss

ssppiinnaa--cchhrriissttii))..

D. OTA


the cliffs closest to the sea.Besides strips of holm-oakand hophornbeam wood,there is the characteristicrock vegetation, growing on com-pact rocks and screes. Limestonesoil is poor in water and earth andthe heavy summer insolationimplies high temperatures. Plantsgrowing on rocks and screes haveadapted to survive these extremeecological conditions: leaves arewax-coated or hairy to protect

plants from hightemperatures andinsolation. In orderto retain watersome plants havesucculent leaves.These include sage(Salvia officinalis),Sedum montanumssp. orientale andTeucrium flavum.A plant that can benoticed on theRilke path for itslate summer-earlyautumn bloomingis the Campanulapyramidalis, anI l l y r i a n - B a l k a nspecies widespreadon the easterncoast of the Adriat-ic sea. Its stems canbe over 2 metreshigh.The endemic plantof the Duino cliffs,the blue-bonnetCentaurea kartschi-ana, is also foundin this rocky envi-

ronment. A plant is endemicwhen it grows spontaneouslyonly in a given region ofwhich is characteristic. Cen-

taurea kartschiana can only befound on a limited part of the Tri-este coast.Along the Carso edge, where thereis the passage from Mediterraneanto Illyrian-Balkan vegetation, thereare rock fields derived from thecrushing of limestone and com-pact limestone rocks where bushes

TTuurrppeennttiinnee--ttrreeee((PPiissttaacciiaa

tteerreebbiinntthhuuss))..

D. OTA


SSmmiillaaxx aassppeerraa..

D. OTA

SSeedduummmmoonnttaannuumm

sssspp.. rruuppeessttrree..

D. OTA


are starting to grow: mainlyIllyrian species characteristic ofCarso wood, such as hophorn-beam, manna-ash, smoke tree(Cotinus coggygria) and mahalebcherry and some Mediterraneanspecies such as the turpentine-tree and Christ’s torn. Rockfields on the most exposed sidestill lack vegetation, but themahaleb cherry and a few singleblack pines have started to growon their edges.

CCaammppaannuullaappyyrraammiiddaalliiss..

D. OTA

AA mmaahhaalleebbcchheerrrryy ((PPrruunnuuss

mmaahhaalleebb)) iinnbblloooomm oonn tthhee

rroocckk ffiieelldd..

D. OTA


Centaurea kartschiana (Scop.)

The blue-bonnet Centaurea kartschiana was described for the first timeright on the coast between Sistiana and Duino by Giovanni AntonioScopoli in Flora Carniolica, published in 1772.It belongs to the Compositae or Asteraceae family on the basis of itsflower characteristics. The name of the family shows that the specieshave many flowers joined in a flower head. The single flowers of thehead are tubulous or ligulate according to the type of corolla. Cen-taurea kartschiana only has tubulous flowers.The plant reaches 40-50 cm, its stem is lignified at the basis, erect andbranched. The pink-purple flowers bloom from June to August. Itlives both on the rocks by the sea exposed to sea sprays and in thecracks of limestone rocks which are higher above the sea.

CCeennttaauurreeaakkaarrttsscchhiiaannaa..

P. LENARDON


Pine-woodThe flat part of the Reservecomprised between the cliffedge and the A 14 road is cov-ered by a large pine-wood

which was planted at thebeginning of the 20th cen-tury. It is mainly made ofAustrian black pine (Pinusnigra ssp. austriaca) and

some examples of Aleppo pine(Pinus halepensis).Today the pine-wood has reachedits mature stage and some trees arealready dying. Dead pine-trees arereplaced by local species, mostlyhelm-oak (Quercus ilex) and manna-ash (Fraxinus ornus) which havebeen able to settle thanks to theprotection of the pine-trees foliage.There is a natural replacement ofthe man-planted species with localspecies, which was the objective ofthe reforestation with coniferoustrees carried out on the wholeCarso more than 100 years ago.

VViieeww ooff tthhee ccaassttlleeaatt tthhee bbeeggiinnnniinngg ooff

tthhee 2200tthh cceennttuurryy..

I.TUTA COLLECTION

BBllaacckk ppiinnee((PPiinnuuss nniiggrraa))..

D. OTA


ANIMALSThe fauna in the Reserveis also of great interestthanks to the environ-mental diversity with dif-ferent ecology, as alreadydescribed in the para-graph on vegetation. Rep-tiles, such as lizards andsnakes, are most com-monly found on therocks. Land mammals,such as squirrels andother rodents, prefer the bushand pine-wood, while ceta-ceans (acquatic mammals)such as the bottle-nosed del-phin (Tursiops truncatus) and thepurpoise (Stenella coeruleoalba) havebeen seen in the sea in front of theReserve.Birds are presentin all the envi-ronments ofthe Reserve.

Over 150 species have beenseen, mostly migrants, whichstop at the Reserve to rest andfeed. Sedentary species nest

on the rocks and in the wood. Themost famous species which suc-cessfully nested in the Reserve isthe peregrine falcon (Falco peregri-

nus), included in the Red Listof endangered animalspecies and consideredvulnerable. The pere-grine falcon nested onthe Duino Cliffs from1987 to the mid-nineties.In the following pagessome species living inthe Reserve will bedescribed, chosenamong those consid-

ered the most repre-sentative for each envi-

ronment and the mosteasily observable.

YYeellllooww--lleeggggeeddgguullll ((LLaarruussccaacchhiinnnnaannss))..

G. VICARIO

PPeerreeggrriinneeffaallccoonn..

J. MIKULETIC


SeaThe sea along therocky coastline of thecliffs is few metersdeep. Sunlight pene-trates this limiteddepth well, whichmakes it possible formany plant species,both algae and higherplants (phanerogams)which adapted to sealife, to grow. There arealso many benthonicanimals (which liveattached or bound to the seabottom), such as sponges, seaanemones and shellfish.There are also many speciesof benthonic fish, such as thepainted comber (Serranus scri-ba), labrids (Labridae family),gobies (Gobiidae family) andblennies (Blennidae family).The rocky coast areas are gen-

erally visited by good swim-ming fish such as the bass(Dicentrarchus labrax) and vari-ous sparids species (Sparidaefamily).From the edge of the cliffssome birds can be observedon the sea surface. The mostcommon are yellow-leggedgull (Larus cachinnans) and

black-headed gull(Larus ridibundus).From autumn towinter species whichwinter here grebescan be observed,that are diving birdswhich swim quicklyunderwater. Themost frequent is theblack-necked grebe(Podiceps nigricollis).

PPaaiinntteedd ccoommbbeerr((SSeerrrraannuuss

ssccrriibbaa))..

M. VENTIN

BBllaacckk hheeaaddeeddgguullll ((LLaarruussrriiddiibbuunnuuss))

wwiitthh wwiinntteerrpplluummaaggee..

D. OTA


RocksCliffs and leeward rock fields areideal environments for reptileswhich use the rocks to warmthemselves in the sun but also takerefuge in the cracks if need be.Snakes include the Aesculapiansnake (Elaphe longissima), westernwhip snake (Coluber viridiflavus)and nose-horned viper (Viperaammodytes). Lizards include thecommon wall lizard (Podarcismuralis) and italian wall lizard(Podarcis sicula).

The most common reptile whichcan easily be observed on the cliffsis the Dalmatian algyroides (Algy-roides nigropunctatus), a dark-brownlizard with small black spots. Inspring males have black backs,turquoise throats and orange bel-lies. The Dalmatian algyroidesfeeds on various invertebrates, inparticular insects. This speciesonly lives on the eastern Adriaticcoasts, from north-western Greeceand the Ionian islands to the Ison-zo river and Mount Sabotino

above Gorizia, thewestern limit of itsarea of distribu-tion.The warm rockwalls are suitablefor nesting forsome bird speciesconnected to theM e d i t e r r a n e a nenvironment. Theseinclude the blue-rock thrush (Mon-ticola solitarius), abird which is thesame size as ablackbird and hasa dusty blue plum-age. It can be seenfrom the cliff edgelooking towards thesea. The male’ssong is distinctiveand melodious and

MMaallee ooffDDaallmmaattiiaannaallggyyrrooiiddeess((AAllggyyrrooiiddeess

nniiggrrooppuunnccttaattuuss))..

D. OTA


can be heard early in themorning and late in the after-noon when the heat subsides.Other bird species nest onthe cliff rocks but are moredifficult to see. They includethe black redstart (Phoenicu-rus ochoruros) and Sardinianwarbler (Sylvia melanocephala)with red eyes and a blackhead, a Mediterranean specieswhose area of distributionreaches its northernmost limithere.Ravens (Corvus corax), largerand completely black, nest inthe cavities of the rocks.

SSaarrddiinniiaannwwaarrbblleerr ((SSyyllvviiaammeellaannoocceepphhaallaa))..

K. KRAVOS

BBlluueerroocckktthhrruusshh..

J. MIKULETIC


Bush and pine-woodBush and pine-wood are the areaswere most animals live. The easiestto see are birds, in particular thoseof the passerine group. The mostwidespread is the chaffinch(Fringilla coelebs). Females aremainly brown, whereas males aremore brightly coloured, with blueheads, black backs and pink-pur-ple bellies. Both display a whiteand a black stripe on the wings.Chaffinches feed mainly on seeds

and have short, strong beaks.Tits are also widespread: the greattit (Parus major) and blue tit (Paruscoerulus) in the bush and the coaltit (Parus ater) and crested tit (Paruscristatus) in the pine-wood.In both environments there arejays (Garrulus glandarius), whichbelong to the passerine group,even though they are larger. Jaysare strong multi-coloured birdswhich produce hoarse and well-audible sounds.In the pine-wood, besides the two

species of tits, there is also thesparrow-hawk (Accipiter nisus), abird of prey, and great spotted

woodpecker (Picoides major), whichcan be easily recognised by its

pointed beak and undulatingflight. Woodpeckers seekfood in dry trunks and

pine-cones. At the beginningof spring they can be hearddrumming on the trees, a sig-

nal they use to mark their terri-tory.In the pine-wood there are alsosquirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) whichfeed on black pine-cone seeds.Squirrels are rodents which havespecialised in living on the treesand have become good climbers

GGrreeaatt ttiitt..

E. MISSIO

BBlluuee ttiitt..

E. MISSIO

CChhaaffffiinncchhmmaallee aannddffeemmaallee..

E. MISSIO


and jumpers. They cannot be seenvery often as they prefer quieterareas inside the Reserve, as shownby the remains of pine-cones onwhich they feed.

RReemmaaiinnssooff ssqquuiirrrreell’’ss

ffoooodd ooff bbllaacckkppiinnee ccoonneess..

D. OTA

CCrreesstteedd ttiitt..

E. MISSIO

CCooaall ttiitt..

E. MISSIO


DUINO NEW CASTLEAt the northern border of theReserve, but outside it, there isDuino New Castle. It was built inthe 15th century, not far from theOld Castle, whose ruins can still beseen today. The New Castle haschanged owners many times, butsince the end of the 19th century ithas belongs to the noble family ofTorre e Tasso - Thurn und Taxis.Over the centuries the castle has

undergone various restructuringafter wars. The most serious dam-age was caused during the 1stWorld War when it was almostcompletely destroyed by Italianheavy artillery. The currentappearance of the Castle is due tothe restructuring which took placein the 1920s, respecting the origi-nal architecture. Today the red andblue flag of the Torre e Tasso -Thurn und Taxis princes flies onthe main tower.

DDuuiinnoo NNeeww CCaassttlleebbeeffoorree tthhee 11sstt

WWoorrlldd WWaarr..

R. LENARDON COLLECTION


DUINO CLIFFSAND WARSDuring the 1st World War thefront line between the Kingdom ofItaly and the Austro-HungarianEmpire stretched for over 600 Km,from the Stelvio Pass in the Alps tothe Adriatic Sea, where the karsthills with Mount Hermada andthe Duino coastline were theextreme Austrian defence of thesector on the way to Trieste.The rocky coast near Duino wasfortified in view of a possible land-ing of Italian troops in SistianaBay and many pillboxes and look-outs were built to monitor themovements of ships in the Gulf ofTrieste.The garrison was manned by Aus-tro-Hungarian K. u. Kriegsmarine(marines) in which the k . k. Tri-

estiner Jungschutzenbatallion(Trieste young riflemen’s detach-ment) - volunteers aged 16 to 19 -stood out.During the 2nd World War, afterthe armistice of 8th September1943, this land was annexed to theThird Reich with the name NordAdriatischer Kustenland (NorthAdriatic Coastal Area). As SistianaBay became the base for a group ofpocket submarines of the GermanNavy, the old Austrian-Hungarianfortifications on the coast wereused again and adapted as anti-air-craft emplacements.Recently, with the creation of theRilke path, look-outsand gun emplace-ments have beenupgraded and modi-fied, and convertedinto panoramicpoints.

SSaaiilloorrssggaarrrriissoonniinnggtthhee eexxttrreemmeelliimmiitt ooff tthhee

ccooaassttlliinnee aabboovveeSSiissttiiaannaa BBaayy..

R. LENARDON

COLLECTION


SSaaiilloorrss bbuuiillddiinngg aaffoorrttiiffiieedd llooookk--oouuttiinn tthhee ssaammee aarreeaaaass tthhee pprreevviioouuss

pphhoottoo..

R. LENARDON COLLECTION

VViieewwiinngg ppooiinnttoonn tthhee rreemmaaiinnss

ooff aa bbuunnkkeerr..


VISITThe number of visitors to theDuino cliffs has greatly increasedsince the opening in 1987 of thepath named after the poet RainerMaria Rilke, who in 1912 was aguest of princess Marie’s at DuinoNew Castle and wrote the DuinoElegies, making Duino andits cliffs famous the worldover. The Rilke path was cre-ated by the Trieste ProvincialAdministration and Duino-Aurisi-na Municipal Adminis-tration, restoring an oldpath. Under the projectthe path was enlarged, coveredwith gravel for over 1,700 m andthe most dangerous points werefenced off. Some panoramicpoints - two of which are built on2nd World War military bunkers -have been restored and adequatelyprotected.In the year 2000 the connectionbetween the path and Duino wasrealized.Then, by the end of the year 2000 anew 250 m path accessible to dis-abled people wasrealized; from Duinoit leads to a newpanoramic point onthe sea.

TThhee ppaatthh..

BBllaacckk ppiinnee..


DESCRIPTION OF THE RILKE PATHStarting the path from the side ofSistiana near the Tourist OfficeIAT (1) the camp-site to the rightand the abandoned quarry nearthe sea to the left (2). At the end ofthe quarry the path crosses a rockfield (3) with outcrops of groovedlimestone rocks and strips of rockfields with fragmented rocks. Herelow, gnarled black pine-trees canbe seen which endure extremetemperatures and water condi-tions. After the rock field onereaches the 2nd World War bunker(4) which is used as viewing point.It is possible to walk along a corri-dor through the cliffs to a terracewhere the coast can be observedbelow. The path continues amongthin bush and grooved rock fieldsto a higher point which is sign-

posted as viewing point (5). This isthe highest point of the path, 90 mabove sea-level. Here the view ofthe Carso plateau and the carsichills with Mount Hermada (323m) can be enjoyed. After thispanoramic point, the path followsthe cliffs overhanging the seaamong single black pine-trees androcky outcrops where bushes aregrowing. After entering the plant-ed pine-wood, one reaches a junc-tion (6) from which the A 14 roadcan be reached. The main pathcontinues along the edge of thecliffs, among bush and rocks, andreaches a viewing point on theruins of another 2nd World Warbunker (7). From here the pathcontinues to a junction (8) fromwhich one can reach the A 14 orcontinue on the new part of thepath and reach Duino (9). Thepath runs alongside military exca-vations and continues through the

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LITERATUREArnold N., Ovenden D., Corbet G., 1979.Wild animals. Collins, London.

Cannarella D., 1989. Il Sentiero Rilke.Italo Svevo Edit., Trieste.

Jonsson L., 1992. Birds of Europe. Helm,A & C Black, London.

Musi F., 1999. Aree naturali protette.Authority for Parks and RegionalForests, Udine.

Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia. Edagri-cole, Bologna.

Poldini L., 1989. La vegetazione delCarso isontino e triestino. Lint Edit.,

Trieste.

Poldini L., GioittiG., Martini F.,Budin S., 1984.Introduzione allaflora e alla vege-tazione del Carso.Lint Edit., Trieste.

Various authors,1997. Dalle Boc-che del Timavo aMiramare. RiservaNaturale Marinadi Miramare, Mi-nistero dell’Am-biente - WWF Italia.

dense vegetation of pine-trees andholm-oaks to Duino.The path for disabled people startsin Duino and reaches the lay-by onthe cliff edge.

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For information:RReeggiioonn FFrriiuullii VVeenneezziiaa GGiiuulliiaaCCeennttrraall DDiirreeccttiioonn ffoorr AAggrriiccuullttuurraall,, NNaattuurraallaanndd FFoorreesstt RReessoouurrcceess DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt ffoorr NNaattuurraall EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt aannddFFaauunnaa PPrrootteeccttiioonnVia Sabbadini, 31 - 33100 Udinetel. +39 0432 555290 fax: +39 0432 [email protected]

FFoorreesstt DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt ooff DDuuiinnoo AAuurriissiinnaavicolo Forestale 78/E - 34011 Duino (TS)tel. +39 040 2070153 fax: +39 040 [email protected]

MMuunniicciippaalliittyy ooff DDuuiinnoo AAuurriissiinnaa--DDeevviinn NNaabbrreezziinnaaAurisina Cave, 25 - 34011 Aurisina (TS)tel. +39 040 2017372 fax +39 040 [email protected]

IIAATT –– MMuunniicciippaall TToouurriisstt IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn PPooiinnttSistiana 56/B - 34019 Sistiana (TS) tel/fax:+39 040 299166 [email protected]

How to get there

To reach the car-park by the junctionfor Sistiana mare, where the Rilke pathis signposted, follow the A 14 roadfrom Trieste to Monfalcone. The Rilkepath can also be reached from Duino.

© Region Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Text: Paolo Lenardon, Roberto Lenardon,Damijana Ota, Alessandro Rondi.

Drawings: Jurij Mikuletic, Elena Missio.

Photographs: Marino Sterle, Kajetan Kravos,Paolo Lenardon, Damijana Ota, Mauro Ventin,Glauco Vicario, Felcher Luigi.

Historic prints: Roberto Lenardon, Igor Tuta.

Collaboration: Massimo Barbo, Lorenzo Fogale.

Translation: Key Congressi s.r.l.

Printing: Selekta


Regional Nature Reserve THE DUINO CLIFFS

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Transcript of Regional Nature Reserve THE DUINO CLIFFS