Valle Pesio and Valle Tanaro: the charm of nature is combined with the discovery of the culture and traditions of the place
The Natural Park of Marguareis, one of the first protected areas established by the Piemonte region, has recently celebrated 35 years of life.
It was born in December 1978 and, in addition to the purposes of protection and conservation of Marguareis massif, one of the major areas karst high altitude in the Alps and the great forests (consisting of extensive forests of fir and beech) of Valle Pesio and Valle Tanaro, also aims to organize the territory for recreational, educational, scientific, tourist and cultural use.
In over three decades of activity, the Park Authority has promoted and implemented numerous initiatives and activities to raise awareness, disseminate, capture attention and interest of visitors and tourists, in different seasons, attending the Valle Pesio.
The park has improved the usability of the territory with agroforestry facilities, tourist accommodation, museums and nature.
The land management has been implemented through the settlement and the restoration of the network of paths (also in the neighboring areas to the protected area), management woods used and exploited in a sustainable and multifunctional use and support through structural improvements to pasture.
There were prepared tourist publications and promotional, were equipped paths and trails with appropriate information signage not only for educational purposes, but with real intent of naturalistic spreading, were organized meetings and training courses with teachers and students from schools of every order and grade.
The park, to improve the accommodation within the protected area and create stopping places that could put the network routes walkers on either side of the imposing limestone massif Marguareis, has made the mountain huts "Plan of Gorre", in the valle Pesio, and "Don Barbera" on the cliff of the Lords in the Upper Valle Tanaro, where there is also a "Park House" in the historic Village of Carnino.
There isn't also lack of attention for the winter season with the construction of an articulated track bottom, with a polygon for the grassy biathlon, which winds through a dozen kilometers from the village of San Bartolomeo up to the heart of the Park.
The offices of the park has become a real cultural center focused on the photographic exhibition by Michele Pellegrino, the Hall Meetings and the environmental and landscape of the surrounding area that Roccarina located at the back of the head office of the Park in Chiusa Pesio, it is equipped with classroom for educational activities on the environment promoted by the education sector of the Park.
Areas relevant to the former lime quarry of Roccarina have been fully placed in the context of a complex redevelopment of the area. The outdoor classroom is the center of gravity of a historical-didactic that it values the painstaking grange of Castellar, the old lime-kiln, above the quarry, sawmill Opera Pia parish, the ancient channel Prata, the rural Church of St. Anne and the hunting lodge not far from Mombrisone.
The area has been further enhanced with the creation of Flamulasca, a Bronze Age village, with huts of wood and heather roof to witness the ancient settlement on the nearby Mount Cavanero where they were found valuable archaeological finds, now kept in the museum of Chiusa Pesio.
Inside the Park operates the modern Centre for Plant Biodiversity that work for the conservation of flora and vegetation of the protected area and the native region. The Center includes a Germplasm Bank dedicated exclusively to the protection of wild flora of Piemonte. Among the goals is to enhance the rare species through their cultivation for economic purposes, pharmaceutical, recovery and environmental regeneration
In the face of massive Marguareis've created two botanical stations that host plant species that live exclusively in the subalpine and alpine of the Alpi Liguri and Marittime.
The station "E.Burnat / C.Bicknell" is located in Pian del Lupo at the Refuge Garelli, at about 2000 m; Station "Danilo Re" is instead at the pond Marguareis.
Currently they are home to more than 450 species of plants including some 150 rare or endemic. The two stations are connected with each other and with information boards.
Very active is also the Educational Sector of the Park, as an integral part of the network coordinated by the Regional Environment, is responsible for alert schools to issues of naturalistic and environmental.
Park Marguareis
Via Sant'Anna, 34-12013 Chiusa di Pesio (CN)
+39 0171.734021
+39 0171.735166
www.parcomarguareis.it
