Since the beginning of the 20th century the territory around Caorle has been deeply modified. Most of the woods of the "Selva Lupanica" were cut to give room to fields for cultivation, rivers were embanked, and marshes were reclaimed. This brought a landscape of wide flat areas, with no trees even along the rivers course. Along the coast, interment and erosion constantly modify the scenery. On the east side, we encounter a 600 hectares area of marshland, generally called the "Valleys": Val Grande and Vallesina, both connected to the mouth of River Tagliamento. More towards the east, a pine forest was replanted in the 1930s, with the intention of protecting the farmlands from strong winds. In the south, the Valle Vecchia is an island of more than 700 hectares, located between Caorle and Bibione. In the last decades, an intense work of naturalization is taking place: more than 20 km of wild hedges, 170 hectares of woods, 60 hectares of damp areas, have been re-established, and a beach with no tourist facilities, rather with a complex system of dunes and a rich pine forest, has been recreated to provide the habitat for rare plant and animal species. North of the Caorle lagoon lies the Valle Zignago, which borders with the Val Grand. It's famous for Hemingway's long sojourns in the area and his memories in the novel "Across the River and into The Trees". Moving southwest, there is the rich pine forest in Eraclea Mare. It is an ideal location for long walks and bike rides along its many trails in the trees. The pine forest ends at the "Laguna del Mort" (Lagoon of the dead), which was created due to the overflow of the river Piave in the 1930s. lt is now an attractive location for the numerous species of animals and plants living in the area. Proceeding toward Jesolo, we encounter the river Sile, the Oasis "Tre Palade" and the Venice Lagoon, an ideal environment for the reproduction of small mammals, reptiles, and amphibious, and many species of birds.
The landscape is still rather wild,'with changing sandbanks and the fishing valleys. Along the river Piave that ends near Jesolo, there is the park in San Dona' di Piave, with is rich forest, nice clearings and charming corners. One can bike along the dry river bed up to Noventa di Piave where a memorial stone commemorates the American writer, Hemingway. Going east, in the municipality of Santo Stino di Livenza, the two ancient forests of Bandiziol and Prassacon, once belonging to the Serenissima Republic of Venice, have been recently replanted. Proceeding eastbound towards Portogruaro, the territory is rich with water-flows, forests, and wide meadows. The area is crossed by the rivers Lemene and Reghena, along which one can still see old watermills; some have been abandoned for years, yet others, newly restored, can be visited, namely the ones in Stalis, in Boldare, in Sega, in Gruaro, in Nogarol and in Bagnara. From Portogruaro to Fossalta one must stop at the monumental oak in Villanova, an oak more than 500 years old, and 7 meters diameter. Then visit Villa Moncenigo, a beautiful park in Alvisopoli. We are now close to the region Friuli, separated by the river Tagliamento, whose banks present the same rich wild vegetation of the river Piave. Through the towns of San Michele, San Filippo Cesarolo up to Bevazzana the landscape presents the uniform characteristics of farmlands. At the mouth of the Tagliamento River, it changes to acquire the characteristics of the lagoon valleys mentioned above. Scuba diving lovers might be interested in visiting the "Tegnue" in Falconera. It has peculiar rocky sea floors, originated from particular chemical and biological conditions. The areas are rather important for their animal and plant population, in particular: algae, corals, fish and crustaceans. Here they find their ideal habitat.