The Natural Environment
Along the ridge of Mt. Subasio we can distinguish some isolated
summits, the most important of which are, from north to south, Mt.
Subasio (1,290m), Mt. Civitelle (1,280m), and La Sermolla (1,191m).
Moreover, you can see Colle San Rufino (1,110m) in the north-western
end and Madonna della Spella (978m) in the south-east of the mountain;
in the south, separated from Fosso Renaro valley, Mt, Pietrolungo
(914m).
Its characteristic rounded shape and the towns of Assisi
and Spello developing on its slopes make it easy to recognize Mt.
Subasio in the plain of Umbria.
The Mountain is a natural frame linking and dividing at the same time
the historical towns of Assisi, Spello, Valtopina and Nocera Umbra as a
unifying element of the landscape.
Its
summit, mainly flat and characterized by evident karstic phenomena,
clashes with the steep slopes mainly characterizing its eastern section.
The slopes of Subasio are covered today with an arboreal vegetation
that can be divided into three strips: the first one is characterized
by olive trees, whose cultivation goes from Assisi to Spello on both
slopes and from Costa di Trex to Armenzano and San Giovanni; the second
strip is characterized by a natural arboreal vegetation of Turkey oaks
and downy oaks, hop hornbeams, flowering ashes, maples, beech trees,
and holm oaks; high forests of resinous plants, due to reforestation
activities, characterize the third strip together with high-mountain
grazing meadows.
However,
despite its great variety and despite hunting was banished several
years ago, the natural environment houses a poor wildlife: wolves are
occasionally seen, and the golden eagles lived here until the 60s
together with the rock partridge.
The actual mountain management
favors the new colonization by the grey partridge, the wild cat, the
squirrel, the wood pigeon, the magpie, the jay, as well as the
porcupine, the badger, the fox, the weasel, the beech-marten, and the
wild boar.
Among birds of prey, in particular in the eastern section of the Park, there are the buzzard, the goshawk, and the scops owl.
