Fontanigge houses
Abandoned stone salt-workers' homes among the basins.
Yerpo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · cristina.sanvito from Italy — CC BY 2.0 · cristina.sanvito from Italy — CC BY 2.0 · Isiwal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stefan.lefnaer — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Sečovlje Saltpans are the largest Slovenian saltworks still partly in use, spreading over about 650 hectares where the Dragonja river and Drnica stream meet the sea in the country's southwest. Today they form a landscape park where an old industry and an open wetland share the same ground. Some suggest salt was already made in Istria in Roman times, but the pans in their present form go back to the Carolingian era. They were discussed at the Assembly of Rižana in 804, and the Piran Statute of 1274 documented them explicitly, setting the terms of production and sale and even the price of salt. Salt is made by evaporating seawater with sun and wind over four to six stages, with the water running along channels into broad basins and finally into crystallising pans. The southern section, Fontanigge, holds abandoned stone salt-workers' houses and old basins, while the northern section, Lera, was modernised in the 20th century and still produces salt for sale. Waterbirds add to the scene, including flocks of flamingos at times. The pans lie about 5.2 km from Tartini Square in Piran in a straight line. The land is exposed with almost no shade, so bring a hat and water in summer, and keep to marked paths for the sake of the birds. The park charges an entry fee, though we could not find a reliable current figure.
Abandoned stone salt-workers' homes among the basins.
The Lera pans, still producing salt today.
Waterbirds, with flamingo flocks at times.
Sečovlje, Municipality of Piran, Slovenia
Partly. The northern Lera section still makes salt for sale, while southern Fontanigge is largely abandoned.
A hat, water and sunscreen in summer, since the ground is open with almost no shade.