Parco Regionale di Montevecchia e della Valle del Curone

The Park Environment

The Park has been established by the Regional Law n. 77 of 16/09/1983. It covers a surface of about 2.350 hectares, and its territory involves - for their whole territory or in part - ten Municipalities: Cernusco Lombardone, Lomagna, Missaglia, Montevecchia, Olgiate Molgora, Osnago, Perego, Rovagnate, Sirtori, Viganò.
The Park is not a strict nature reserve, but a very diversified area where, besides areas of great environmental interest, there are also urban centers, productive settlements, areas dedicated to agriculture and breeding, and architectural monuments of great artistic and cultural value.
The Park borders with the outer green edge of south-eastern Brianza, rich in natural elements, and interpenetrates with the agricultural and industrial plain, at the edges of the last branches of the metropolitan conurbation of Milan.

(the following links all lead to Italian texts)

The Park borders:

• on orthophotos where the Park Seats are signalled
• on high-resolution orthophotos
• on high-resolution CTR (regional technical map)

Habitats of Community Interest

(the following links all lead to Italian texts)

Within the Park, three priority habitats of Community Interest have been acknowledged:

1. Petrifying Springs
2. Meagre Meadows
3. Hygrophilous Woods

Further info

Fauna

Brianza, a land once covered with thick woods, was characterized by its richness in wildlife: an inexperienced traveler who lost himself in Curone Valley during his journey from Milan to Lecco could spend worrying and dangerous nights in the broadleaf-tree forests before finding a shelter in a reassuring Church. Today, the green forests have given way to towns, roads, industrial plants, and cultivated areas: the fauna populating the Park territory can now survive only thanks to the establishment of the protected area.

Further info (Italian text)

Flora

(the following links all lead to Italian texts)

Montevecchia Park, a small jewel near the metropolis of Milan, still preserves green places and woodlands, rich in precious flora.

• Protected species
• Forbidden species
• Blooming
• Complete list
• Detailed search (Search in the database according to the species, common name, family, blooming period, and habitat)

Further info

Woodlands

Woodlands cover most of the Park territory.
The woodland Curone Valley - Santa Croce Valley - Viganò represents the last forest surface of considerable size in continuity with the wood formations of the prealpine mountains. As a matter of fact, this continuity is interrupted towards the north only by road routes and by not very big settlements which do not hinder the connection among the forest cenosis.

Further info (Italian text)

Landscape

The ridge of the hill of Montevecchia, where the woods of Curone and Santa Croce Valleys join, represents the "green heart" of this Park, born to safeguard the naturalistic and landscape values of this territory situated in Brianza, characterized by a widespread urbanization. The several settlements in the background of the green hills of the Park, seem to remember than the widespread urbanization represents the destiny of this area, should the restraints deriving by the Park establishment no longer exist.

Further info (Italian text)

Geology

From a geological point of view, the Park area is situated at the southern edge of the Southern Alpine System, forming its last outcrops in the north of the Po Plain.

(the following links all lead to Italian texts)

• How did the rocks of Montevecchia form
• The rocks of the Park
• The glacier and the glacial periods
• The glacial period in Montevecchia
• The glacial lake of Rovagnate
• The action of the streams
• The geological map of the Park
• The geological trail

Further info