Description of the attraction
Serio Park, created in 1973, stretches along the river of the same name in the Italian region of Lombardy in the province of Cremona. Here, on the northern shores, you can find small thickets of willows, poplars, maples and oaks, cultivated fields and huge pebbles covered with a thin layer of soil. On the local dry meadows, steppe or typical Mediterranean plants grow, sometimes alternating with alpine species. The thickets are inhabited by oleagus and hawk warblers, nightjars and garden buntings - a total of 140 bird species are registered in the park (about 200 artificial nests have been created for them and a ringing center has been established). The park's symbols are lapwings and common pendulums. To the south, in Mozzanica, the river becomes narrower - there are small wetlands that form the Palata Menashutto nature reserve in the municipalities of Richengo and Pianengo.
Several archaeological artifacts dating from the Neolithic era to the time of the Lombards have been discovered in the Serio Park, all of which are kept in the museums of Bergamo, Milan, Nuremberg and Fornovo. In addition to the rural architecture with its many fortified farmsteads, the city buildings are also noteworthy. In the vicinity of Bergamo there are castles, the history of which is closely connected with the life of Commander Colleoni (Malpaga, Cavernago, Urgnano, Martinengo and Cologno), and in the vicinity of Crema it is worth exploring old villas and palaces (Richengo, Castel Gabbiano, Ripalta Guerina and Montodine). Also, religious buildings are scattered throughout the park - modest prayer houses, chapels, temples, monasteries and churches. Finally, the historical centers of Crema, Martinengo and Romano di Lombardy with its fortress deserve attention - all of them are also located within the park.
In the very center of Serio, there is a hiking and cycling trail that runs along the river from Gisalba to Mozzanica. Walking along it, you can see white and gray herons and rare lapwings, hear nightingale trills and inspect the fortress of the Visconti family in the town of Romano di Lombardia.
