State Nature Reserve Le Cesine

The State Nature Reserve Le Cesine is located in the municipality of Vernole, in the province of Lecce.
The name derives from Segine which in turn derives from Seges which means uncultivated and abandoned area. Segine was also the village that once stood near the Acaya Castle. The oasis is today one of the last wetlands that once stretched from Otranto to Brindisi. In the oasis there are two ponds. Salapi and Pantano Grande, fueled by the rains, which are separated from the sea by a strip of sand dunes. The Oasis is currently managed by WWF.