Description of the attraction
Stelvio National Park, created in 1935, is one of the oldest parks in Italy and the largest alpine national park located in the regions of Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. It spreads over an area of 131 thousand hectares in the heart of the Central Alps with their majestic mountain ranges, vast green forests, alpine pastures and rapid water flows that originate in eternal glaciers. The park's diverse ecosystems are home to many rare plant and animal species, and its landscapes are dotted with small villages nestled at the bottom of valleys or mountain slopes. Here, wilderness areas coexist with lands that have been cultivated for millennia.
For many hundreds and thousands of years, glaciers and the erosive effect of water flows have created numerous valleys on the territory of the Stelvio National Park, which over time were developed by humans to one degree or another. Each valley has its own distinctive features: for example, in Val Venosta you can see heaps of rubble at the foot of the mountains, the extended Val Martello stands out for the peak of Cevedale, and Val Trafoi is located at the foot of the snow-covered Ortles mountain. Covered with lush greenery, Val Ultimo is rich in streams and lakes, as is Val Rabbi, and Val Peijo is famous for its mineral and thermal springs.
Since ancient times, the main valleys of the park have been used as transport arteries for hunters, mineral seekers and traders. A good example of such an artery is the road leading from Bormio to the Fraele Towers and from there to the Engadine and Tyrol. On the outskirts of the park, at one of the busiest intersections, lies the small town of Glorenza, still surrounded by well-preserved medieval walls. In the 13th century, people began to climb up from the valleys and began to develop high-mountain pastures, which eventually became an integral part of local agriculture. Some of the old summer camps are still in use today.
The central part of the Stelvio National Park is mostly covered with vast glaciers and eternal snow, which are the source of many rivers and streams, which in turn form picturesque waterfalls and lakes. Along the banks of rivers and lakes, a huge number of species of trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers grow, including rare ones, for example, the glacial buttercup, which can be found only at an altitude of 3500 meters, or the dwarf styrax. The trees include alder, birch, European spruce, larch, cedar, pine and fir.
The rich ecosystems of the park have given shelter to numerous species of animals: the forests are home to red deer and roe deer, the highlands are inhabited by chamois and alpine ibex, and foxes, marmots, ermines, squirrels and hares are found everywhere. There are no large predators here, however, in recent years, scientists have recorded a lynx, a wolf and several young individuals of brown bears in the park. The bird kingdom is no less diverse - kestrels, peregrine falcons, hawks, kites, buzzards, etc. soar in the sky above the park.
