Parco Regionale Campo dei Fiori

Campo dei Fiori Regional Park

Campo dei Fiori Massif and Mt. Martica Massif form Campo dei Fiori Regional Park, established in 1984 (L.R. n.17 of 19.03.84). The Park overlooks the hills of the Province of Varese, the Po Plain, and the small lakes set among the hills. It is delimited in the north and north-west by Valcuvia, in the east by Valganna, and in the south by the town of Varese and by the SS road leading to Laveno.
The two main mountain chains are separated by Valle Rasa linking Valcuvia to Valle dell'Olona, whose name derives from the homonymous river springing in Rasa di Varese.

Within the Park there are six Nature Reserves representing the most important and characteristic environments.

• The Nature Reserves Lago di Ganna, Lago di Brinzio, Torbiera Pau Majur and Torbiera del Carecc with the main wetlands of the Park;
• Monte Campo dei Fiori Reserve with its articulated karstic hypogeal system, the harsh calcareous cliffs, and the large woods dominated by beeches and Spruce firs;
• Martica-Chiusarella Reserve with the last stretches of meagre meadow on calcareous soil, rich in rare invertebrate fauna and flora.

The eight Natural Monuments scattered throughout the Park territory deserve a visit, since they are rich in small gems of particular naturalistic interest.
The whole Park can be easily visited by going along its main sixteen trails, adequately marked with a precise trail markers system. The area is also crossed by long-distance paths, like the European trail E1, the Trail of the Jubilee, Via Verde Varesina, and Anulare Valcuviano.

Flora and Fauna

Campo dei Fiori woodlands are dominated at the top by Beech trees, above all on the northern slope, and by the presence of a large conifer reforestation. Under the 600 meters of altitude, the Beech tree gives way to Chestnut tree, Ash tree, Lime tree, and Sycamore Maple in some deep and wet gorges.
The woodlands of the Park house a great variety of birds of prey, both nesting (Black Kite, Honey Buzzard, Buzzard, Sparrow Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Peregrine) and migratory (Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harrier).

Further info (Italian text)

The Reserves

The mountain chains of Campo dei Fiori and Monte Martica form the 5,400 hectares of Campo dei Fiori Regional Park, established with the regional act n° 17 of 19-03-1984.
Within the Park there are six nature reserves including the most important and characteristic environments.

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The Natural Monuments

The Natural Monuments are areas of small size and of particular geological or biological interest; in the Park, the following Natural Monuments have been established:

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The Caves

In Campo dei Fiori Park there are karstic phenomena of great importance for features and size: at the moment, we know about 130 caves, for a total length of the network of galleries of about thirty kilometers.
The importance of the safeguard of the karstic territory has been highlighted by the Establishment Act of the Park and by the main planning document, the Coordination Territorial Plan.

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Semi-natural Dry Grasslands

Campo dei Fiori Park Authority, thanks to some Community funds, is carrying out the recovery of the semi-natural dry grasslands. Reduced to an occasional presence until the end of the 19th century and again, here and there, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was not difficult to see them along the mountain slopes, obtained from the forest and defended with difficulty against its unavoidable return.

Further info (Italian text)