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Riserva Naturale Monte Casoli di Bomarzo

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Protected Area

Identity Card

  • Land Surface Area: 175.00 ha
  • Regions: Lazio
  • Provinces: Viterbo
  • Municipalities: Bomarzo
  • Establishment Measures: L.R. 30, 26/10/1999
  • PA Official List: EUAP1080

 

 

Monte Casoli di Bomarzo Nature Reserve

Monte Casoli di Bomarzo Nature Reserve was established in 1999 with L.R. 30. At the moment, it covers an area of 285 hectares (the enlargement to over 700 hectares is on the program), in the Municipality of Bomarzo. The Park Authority is the Province of Viterbo which, in collaboration with the Municipality of Bomarzo, manages the Reserve with the aim to guarantee and promote the conservation and enhancement of the territory and its local natural and cultural resources, to safeguard and recover the natural habitats, to preserve animal and vegetal species, to promote the economic and social development of the local communities involved, and to enhance the natural resources with educational and recreational aims.
The landscape of the protected area, strongly influenced by the local geological features, is characterized by woodlands alternating with plateaus which were used in the past as pastures, cultivated areas, and more or less deep valleys.

Further information (Italian text)

 

Vegetation

Despite its limited size, the Reserve is very rich in flora: this depends on the diversified conformation of the territory which is a mosaic of different environments for geology, morphology, and climate. A thick Turkey Oak wood covers the less sunny slopes and represents without a doubt the dominating vegetal feature of the whole area, above all in the ravines.

Turkey Oak Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Holm Oak
Lobaria Flowering Ash Usnea

Further information (Italian text)

Flora
Flora
 

Fauna

The abundance of water, the variety of the environments, and the scarce human presence allow the life of many animal species. Among them the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), a typical animal of this area, the Fox, the Pine Marten (Martes martes), the Polecat (Mustela putorius), the Badger (Meles meles), rodents like the Porcupine, the Squirrel, the Dormouse, the Yellow-necked mouse, the Savi's Pine Vole and the Bank Vole, and, among the insectivorous species, the Hedgehog, the Mole, and the Common Shrew. There are also several bird species, whose presence is favored by the thick vegetation, the ravines, and the ancient ruins.

Wild Boar Porcupine Dormouse
Salamander Fox

Further information (Italian text)

 

Geological Features

The territory of Monte Casoli Nature Reserve and its surroundings include geological formations of different nature: marine sedimentary, volcanic, and continental formations.
The most ancient formations belong to the Plio-Pleistocene marine regressive sedimentary cycle covering most of the territory and outcropping in particular in the central-southern section of the Reserve, near the river carvings of the Stream Vezza and its tributaries.
The most ancient volcanic coverings, the quartzolatitic ignimbrite, coming from the emission center Cimino (about 1.3 million years ago) and locally known with the name of "Common Peperine" (for the frequent presence of black biotite crystals, looking like pepper-corns), can be found in the southern section of the Reserve, in the south of the ditch of Monte Casoli, along the northern edge of the volcanic plateau facing the above-mentioned ditch.

Further information (Italian text)

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