Baratz-Porto Conte

Lake Baratz, Sardinia's only natural freshwater basin, is located in the north-western part of the municipality of Sassari, in the region of Nurra. It lies at the bottom of a hollow surrounded by a conifer wood and is separated from the sea by a dune system that characterises Porto Ferro Bay. The lake was formed during the last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, during which the progressive growth of glaciers caused a significant drop in sea level with a consequent lowering of the coastline. This event led to the outcropping of large sandy surfaces which, driven by the prevailing winds, formed a massive dune that subsequently blocked the course of the Rio dei Giunchi and  Rio Cuile Puddighinu rivers, resulting in the formation of Lake Baratz. The new lake was thus fed by tributaries and had no real emissaries, indeed the only current link with the sea is due to seepage of water which passes through the dunes, flowing into the sea from the southern end at Porto Ferro beach and giving rise to the fresh water spring “S’ebbi dolzi". 
Lake Baratz, together with the dune system and 
Porto Ferro Bay, represents a unique environment of great natural interest. The vegetation of the lake consists of a border of marsh reeds and typha, and a series of concentric rings of tamarix of different heights, which testify to the variation of the water level of the lake over the years. The area surrounding the lake is covered by a thick pine forest dating back to the early '50s, which in places gives way to typical specimens of Mediterranean maquis such as strawberry tree, heather, myrtle, juniper and mastic.