A European project located in Massa Marittima and bearing a Latin name. This is Carapax, a word referring to the shell of the sea turtle, a project that combines public entities and associations for the protection of nature throughout Europe and especially the European Community.
However, the Carapax Center also refers to the Maremma area, unique in Italy for its protection of turtles, and especially the 17 species which today remain in the Mediterranean zones and which are in danger of extinction.
The Carapax Center is located in Massa Marittima; turn right just before the ascent to the historic downtown district to find the turtle oasis just a few kilometers further, surrounded by green areas and farmhouses.
The Center is managed by specialists inspired by methods and scientific procedures used at the end of the 1950s by Belgians working in the Galapagos to save the local giant and at that time rare land turtle, thus saving an entire species from extinction. The turtles of the Carapax Center are not as huge, but they are still at risk of becoming endangered. For this reason they are bred and protected against predators.
The majority of the turtles bred in the Massa Marittima Center is not captured from the wild, but rather are donations from people who decide to free them in a favorable environment or from captivity. In addition to the land turtles, the Center also includes marsh and marine species. The structure organizes different types of guided tours which allow visitors, large and small, to observe the turtles and to learn of their habits. It also has a Learning Center which recreates various kinds of habitats (desert, African, Australian and so on), where different type of animals live.(Portions of this article first appeared in "Toscana & Chianti News")
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