The Oasis, which covers about 380 hectares, is one of the most preserved and important humid environments in southern Italy, the last survivor of the vast swampy and wooded area that stretched from Brindisi to Otranto. The landscape of which it is made up alternates dunes, marsh areas, drainage canals, mixed woods and Mediterranean scrub. In the past, however, the whole area was an unhealthy zone, not cultivable, which affected the productivity of the Salento area and where the anopheles mosquito lived, carrying serious diseases and infections. For these reasons in the nineteenth century it was decided to reclaim the area, with the dual aim of defeating malaria and obtaining land to be used for cultivation.
The reclamation of the area was carried out by proceeding with the canalization of the land, or with the construction of a dense network of minor canals connected to a main and larger one, which made fresh water flow towards the sea, and with the preparation of a series wells capable of collecting and storing a certain quantity of water to be used in case of need. In addition to having become a point of reference for all lovers of walking and outdoor sports, thanks to its position along one of the main migratory routes, today the oasis is identified as an essential habitat for numerous aquatic and migratory birds, as well as endemic species of amphibians and small mammals.