The oasis of Bolgheri, established in 1959, was the first Italian private Oasis, thanks to the Marquis Mario Incisa Della Rocchetta, one of the founders of WWF Italy where he was also President. The Bolgheri, defined already in the mid-16th century "place plenty of wheat and fruits" occupies an area of about 50 square kilometres and rectangular extends on the coast for about 4.4 km and then inner Knoll Padua and Poggio delle Carbonare for about 9 km. The terrain is mostly covered by forests, olive groves and large vineyards, while the part between the via Aurelia and the sea, occupied until last century from a coastal lake which has now disappeared, is now the territory of Bolgheri OASIS covering an area of 518 hectares, while the part used as a wildlife refuge is about 100 hectares.