Just outside Manzolino, the long portico of the old Formagliaro mill marks the parking place where cars or bicycles can be left; from here, it is just a few metres along the S. Giovanni canal to the observation point for the nearby bird sanctuary. The viewing point consists of a hide on tubular metal legs, offering a good vantage place for watching the wildfowl through a slit in the wooden screen. At this reserve, consisting of three rectangular man-made lakes with two islands, there is perhaps more to be heard than to be seen, with bird song and calls revealing abundant life amongst the reeds and bulrushes. Visitors can walk around the reserve and on to Rastellino, Red¥ and Nonantola, across fertile farmland dotted with farmhouses. Leaving Nonantola for the farmlands of the Partecipanza Agraria agricultural foundation, the Torbido canal soon leads to the well equipped hide overlooking the Partecipanza ponds. The Lipu (Italian Society for the Protection of Birds), which built the hide, has observed 145 different species of birds on these wetlands, where bulrushes make it hard to distinguish water from dry ground.