Campo dei Fiori Park

Introduction

Description

It extends north of Varese and includes two important massifs, the Campo dei Fiori (1226m), a ridge stretching latitudinally for over 5km, and the Martica (1032m). The park is home to important karst phenomena: more than 130 caves are known, with a total network of tunnels of around 30km. The vegetation is very varied: on the Campo dei Fiori there are chestnut and beech forests, in the shady valleys mixed forests of ash, hornbeam, sycamore maple, cherry, linden and oak, along the watercourses black alder. Oak, birch and Scots pine grow on the sunny slopes of Monte Martica, while the cliffs are home to rare species of the limestone Pre-Alps. There are several wetlands, including the Lake Ganna Nature Reserve, Lake Brinzio and the 'Pau Majur' and 'Carecc' peat bogs. The fauna includes martens, badgers, deer, roe deer and various species of bats, which are the subject of a conservation project. A fair variety of birds of prey can be found in the woods. There are many historical-monumental emergencies, in particular the Sacro Monte complex and the Chapels of the Mysteries of the Rosary, a UNESCO heritage site since 2004, the Rocca di Orino and the Badia di Canna. On the peak of Campo dei Fiori stands the 'Cittadella di Scienze della natura' (Citadel of Natural Science), which houses the Astronomical Observatory, the Prealpine Geophysical Centre, the Zambeletti Park and the Tomaselli Botanical Garden. The entire park can be easily visited via appropriately signposted paths. The area is also criss-crossed by longer-distance paths (European El path, Jubilee path, Via Verde Varesina, Valcuviano ring road).

In the park there is an astronomical observatory, an area with wild flowers, various animals, including 20 of the 30 bats present in Europe (there is a specific project for their protection), and a very small beetle, the Duvalius Ghidinii, only 4 mm long, a survivor, because it is 300 million years old, and escaped the glaciations and the subsequent covering of the Po Valley by the sea, as the tip of Campo dei Fiori was out of the water like an island; the terrain is karstic, it precipitates on the northern slope, is gentler in the south, has as many as 130 registered cavities, with a total development of 30 kilometres; at the beginning of the 20th century, Campo dei Fiori was reforested with spruce, trees that, although they have reached a considerable size, are now diseased. Where they fall there is a canopy, i.e., a space where light filters through, and taking advantage of these gaps, more resistant species are being replanted, hazelnut, cherry, In the upper part, the part we pass through, there is beech, and below 600 metres, chestnut, a legacy of peasant civilisation, with woods that have been abandoned for decades, but are being recovered. Santa Maria del Monte, at an altitude of 883 metres, is one of the heights inside the park, where the Sacro Monte is located, which has 14 chapels connected by 2 km of cobblestones; it is a Unesco heritage site, and it is estimated that 60 million pilgrims have passed through here in 300 years. Within the park, the road we travelled was part of the Cadorna Line, the system created by General Cadorna to defend against a possible attack by Germany through Switzerland. Along this road, which runs just below the summit, runs the E1 trail, which connects Cape North, Norway, to Sicily, the Jubilee trail, which was travelled by pilgrims reaching Rome from the north, and the 3V, Via Verde Varesina, a trekking route that allows you to visit the Varese lakes area and the pre-Alps in several days. In addition to these main routes, there are 18 signposted paths. At the main points there are explanatory boards explaining the itinerary to be followed and the peculiarities of the area. Inside the park there is an astronomical observatory, an area with wild flowers, various animals, including 20 of the 30 bats present in Europe (there is a specific project for their protection), and a very small beetle, the Duvalius Ghidinii, only 4 mm long, a survivor, because it is 300 million years old, and it escaped the glaciations and the subsequent covering of the Po Valley by the sea, since the tip of Campo dei Fiori was out of the water like an island; the terrain is karstic, it precipitates on the northern slope, is gentler in the south, has as many as 130 registered cavities, with a total development of 30 kilometres; at the beginning of the 20th century, Campo dei Fiori was reforested with spruce, trees that, although they have reached a considerable size, are now diseased. Where they fall there is a canopy, i.e., a space where light filters through, and taking advantage of these gaps, more resistant species are being replanted, hazelnut, cherry, In the upper part, the part we pass through, there is beech, and below 600 metres, chestnut, a legacy of peasant civilisation, with woods that have been abandoned for decades, but are being recovered. Santa Maria del Monte, at an altitude of 883 metres, is one of the heights inside the park, where the Sacro Monte is located, which has 14 chapels connected by 2 km of cobblestones; it is a Unesco heritage site, and it is estimated that 60 million pilgrims have passed through here in 300 years. Within the park, the road we travelled was part of the Cadorna Line, the system created by General Cadorna to defend against a possible attack by Germany through Switzerland. Along this road, which runs just below the summit, runs the E1 trail, which connects Cape North, Norway, to Sicily, the Jubilee trail, which was travelled by pilgrims reaching Rome from the north, and the 3V, Via Verde Varesina, a trekking route that allows you to visit the Varese lakes area and the pre-Alps in several days. In addition to these main routes, there are 18 signposted paths. At the main points there are boards explaining the itinerary to be followed and the special features of the area.

Information

Year of foundation: 1984
 Area: 54 square kilometres
 Maximum elevation: Campo dei Fiori (1227m)
Municipalities concerned: Barasso, Bedero Valcuvia, Brinzio, Casciago, Castello Cabiaglio, Cocquio Trevisago, Comerio, Cunardo, Cuvio, Gavirate, Induno Olona, Luvinate, Masciago Primo, Orino, Rancio Valcuvia, Valganna, Varese
Institutional site: http://www.parcocampodeifiori.it
Contacts: info@parcocampodeifiori.it