Description of the attraction
The Orobi Park in the province of Bergamo is spread over an area of 71 thousand hectares at the southern end of the mountain range of the same name. Here, the Brembana, Seriana and Scavale valleys flow the Brembo, Serio and Dezzo rivers, and some of their tributaries make their way through the neighboring valleys. The Orobi Park is bordered by the vast Valsassina Valley to the west, the Valtellina Valley to the north and the Valcamonica Valley to the east. It includes 44 municipalities.
The landscape of the park can be divided into two zones, each of which has its own characteristic features. To the north lies the Orob Alps with the highest peaks Pizzo Coca, Pizzo Redorta and Punta di Ske. Other equally picturesque mountains are Pizzo dei Tre Signori, the wide ridge of Monte Cabianca, the colossal pyramid of Diavolo di Trend, Monte Gleno, Monte Venerokolo and Pizzo Tornello. In the southern part of the park, the mountains consist of dolomite limestone - the peaks of the Aralalt, Arera, Presolana and Campelli di Skilpario stand out here.
A distinctive feature of the Orobi Park is the abundance of water resources - streams, rushing streams and rivers. Some rivers originate in small centuries-old glaciers and form foaming waterfalls, such as the Serio waterfall in the Valbondione valley - the highest in Italy (315 meters), or the Val Sambuzza waterfall in Pallari di Carona. The stormy streams that rush through picturesque gorges formed by the flow of water for many hundreds of years are also admirable - Dezzo in the Val di Scavale or Enna in Val Taleggio. And besides, the park has over a hundred lakes, both natural and artificial, made by man to generate electricity. The lakes of Barbellino, Coca, Venerokolo, Polzone, Fregabolgia and Gemelli stand out in particular.
Due to its geographical location, abundance of water resources and varied heights, Orobi Park boasts a huge number of plant species. At an altitude of 600 to 1500 meters, on the mountain slopes, beeches grow together with hornbeams, hazel, alder, birch and ash. There you can also find coniferous forests - this is a real kingdom of firs. Conifers, by the way, grow up to a height of 2 thousand meters. And at all high-altitude levels you can admire the luxurious alpine flora - violets, motley, rhododendrons, bells, etc. In summer, the fields are covered with daisies, cyclamens, lilies, edelweiss, mountain asters, buttercups. You can get acquainted with all the blooming splendor of the Orobi Park by going on a journey along specially designed trails to Monte Arera and Bergamo Cai.
The fauna of the park is no less diverse. In recent years, the number of ungulates has significantly increased, in particular, chamois and roe deer. True, the number of game birds, for example, the greek partridge, which is especially sensitive to changes in ecosystems, has decreased. Today in the park you can find squirrels, foxes, ermines, stone and forest martens, weasels and hares. On the pastures, marmots are now and then visible, which are vigilantly watched by golden eagles soaring in the sky. Other birds of prey include falcons, kites, hawks and night owls.
