Fucecchio: The disappearance of the Marshes in Italy has put a strain on the resistance of waterfowl hunting, which continues in some particularly fortunate areas: the Fucecchio Marsh is one of these, reached every year by millions of art lovers hunting.
Fucecchio: The disappearance of the Marshes in Italy has put a strain on the resistance of waterfowl hunting, which continues in some particularly fortunate areas: the Fucecchio Marsh is one of these, reached every year by millions of art lovers hunting. We are straddling the province of Florence and that of Pistoia, in a large humid and fertile area that extends for 1800 hectares, we are within the territory that is part of the Fucecchio marsh and we let ourselves be transported back in time. Famous for the wonderful landscapes that it offers to those who visit it, but above all for the fact of being one of the last real swamps in central Italy, Fucecchio is also known for the possibility it offers to practice that traditional aquatic hunt even today, which roughly disappeared everywhere, due to land reclamation or hunting bans imposed.
This is why Fucecchio and its swamp are a receptacle for local hunters from every Italian and European region.
It is proposed intact and today it is protected by the Terra nostra Unita Association, made up of landowners who love hunting and defend the area from reclamation, agricultural or horticultural entrepreneurs. 
In short, a small hunting oasis, which the owners try to defend tooth and nail, managed with rigor and passion. Everything is organized down to the smallest detail, and at any time of the year, even during hunting downtime, the surrounding environment must be cared for with commitment and dedication. Aquatic plants, which characterize the swamp, the waters and the rich and delicate marsh grasses in the process of disappearing everywhere, require attention and commitment in particular. Not just examples are, for example, the pisarone, one of the favorite foods from the cocoons of the teals and many other species that to a large extent enrich the game bag of hunters, together with ducks.
The habitat is therefore not looked after exclusively for the love of the places, which must naturally be well rooted in the soul of the local hunters, but also and above all because it offers protection and food to the species that inhabit it.
There is also an excellent care for stalking, which we must say are managed in detail. The hunter who reaches this exemplary swamp for duck hunting is not always used to this attention to detail, not being able to help but be pleasantly impressed.
In short, for those who manage the swamp, hunting for aquatics is a hunting activity, a passion, a love, but it becomes, in a certain sense, a lifestyle. In return, the swamp takes time, effort, dedication and money.
Among the particularities for which the stranger hunter must be prepared the name of the stalking, locally called the baskets; these are characteristic stilt houses that blend well with the local vegetation, blending into each other. Normally they are particularly high, given that the water level changes from one day to the next, determined by the rains or by the contribution of the tributary canals. The baskets will be equipped with a roof as a protection against the rains, a place for the small boat hidden among the vegetation, useful for moving around, a small kitchen and of course stoves for the coldest days and fans for the hottest ones. There are also small tables to organize short and frugal snacks in company and to enjoy all the local gastronomic tradition.
It is also essential to remember that although hunters love their swamp, it is still open to the visit of simple nature lovers, who do not practice the art of hunting.
The hunter accompanied by his family for the hunting weekend can entrust it to the Volpoca Association, which will guide you into the wonderful and wild heart of the Fucecchio marsh, guests of the Fucecchio small boats, to get to know in depth a territory as inaccessible as it is suggestive. 
Given the great success with the public, in recent years a small museum has even been created inside the swamp that tells the local history of the aquatic hunt that has always been practiced in the area. Inside you will be able to admire aquatic and non-water birds, tools once used to work on the site, prints and paintings and the tools necessary for hunting.
In short, a hunting trip, yes, but which can easily be integrated with new and relaxing aspects.
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