Protected Areas
Identity Cards
- Regions: Piemonte
- Provinces: Novara
- Park Authority: Ente di gestione delle Riserve Naturali Speciali del Sacro Monte di Orta, del Monte Mesma e del Colle della Torre di Buccione
Situated on the hills dominating the eastern shore of lake Orta, the
three protected areas have been established by the Piemonte Region in
order to safeguard, conserve, and enhance the historical, artistic, and
religious heritage, the environmental and naturalistic aspects, and to
promote its knowledge and fruition.
They are managed by an
Instrumental Authority belonging to the Region and representing the
Municipalities, the environmental associations, and the religious
communities living in the area. The Reserves lie in areas covered with
woods and are important for the presence of considerably important and
charming historical buildings: in Sacro Monte the devotional route of
the Chapels and the Church of San Nicolao, in Monte Mesma the
17th-century Franciscan monastery, and in Torre di Buccione the remains
of a 11th-12th century castle.
Sacro Monte d'Orta is in the World Heritage List safeguarded by UNESCO since "it represents a successful combination between architecture and
decorative arts in a landscape of great beauty and for the high
spiritual value reached in a very difficult moment for the Roman
Catholic Church".
Sacro Monte di Orta
(Special Nature Reserve)
It is situated among the green forests at the top of the hill
dominating Lake Orta. Sacro Monte counts 21 chapels built between
the end of the 16th and the end of the 18th centuries with frescos and
sculptures of terracotta about the life of St Francis.
If the
paintings and the sculptures are an artistic heritage and were realized
by skilled artists of that period (the Fiamminghini, Cristoforo
Prestinari, Dionigi Bussola, and the Morazzone), the natural aspects of
the area are not less interesting.
The promontory on which Sacro Monte d'Orta rises is made up of
rocks which have been shaped by the glaciers of the Quaternary period.
The flora is characterized by evergreens and by some characteristic mountain
flora like the Blueberry. Among the arboreal species there are Scotch
firs, yews, ash trees, and a beautiful avenue of centuries-old
hornbeams facing the lake.
Environment (Italian text)
Sacro Monte d'Orta is situated at about 400 meters of height in a
wonderful panoramic position over the settlement of Orta and the
homonymous lake. The territory of the Reserve extends for 13 hectares
divided into two different areas: the slopes of the hill dominated by
broadleaf tree woods and the monumental area where the vegetation has
always been taken care of as a historical garden.
The author of the project of Sacro Monte studied not only the route
among the chapels, but also the environment and the vegetation: as a
consequence, the unique relationship between nature, the lake, the
green, and the chapels was created; a relationship which still
characterizes Sacro Monte.
Colle della Torre di Buccione
(Special Nature Reserve)
Situated near Mt. Mesma and facing the Lake Orta, Colle della Torre di Buccione represents an aspect of the lake landscape which is particularly significant even from a forest point of view. It has at the top a fortified tower which is interesting from an historical-architectural point of view, the last bulwark of a castle mentioned in some documents dating back to the 13th century. On the tower of Buccione the bell signalling the dangers was situated: the last 17th-century specimen is nowadays safeguarded in the garden of the Town Hall of Orta.
Environment (Italian text)
The hill, which was in the past seat of mining activities for the
presence of porphyry, is nowadays covered with a thick chestnut grove
colonizing the steep slopes of the Reserve extending for 15 hectares.
Monte Mesma
(Special Nature Reserve)
At the top of the mountain where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the
Lake Orta there is a monumental complex consisting of a monastery built
in the 17th century on the ruins of a 13th-century castle, and by some
chapels situated along the religious procession route.
The area is
characterized by many elements of archaeological interest, with Celtic
finds and materials from the Roman-Imperial and Gallic periods.
The
mountain slopes are rich in vegetation and in particular in chestnut
trees and oaks which need requalification interventions. The presence
of many evergreen plants like holly, box-tree, cherry laurel, and yew is interesting thanks to the climatic influence of the nearby lake.
Environment (Italian text)
The hill of Mesma reaches the 576 meters of height, and it is situated
in the Municipality of Ameno in the province of Novara.
Cultivated in the past above all with vineyards, today the hill of
Mesma is almost entirely covered with chestnut tree woods, except the
part adjacent to the Monastery, where the Franciscan monks still
cultivate with great care meadows and vegetable gardens.
The basis of the hill where rio Membra and the stream Agogna lie are
particularly interesting, since they are rich in vegetal essences.
