Description of the attraction
Natural Park "Gran Bosco di Salbertran" is located on the right side of the Italian Val di Susa in Piedmont (Northern Côte Alps) at an altitude of 1000 to 2600 meters above sea level. The park was founded in 1980 to protect the local flora, in particular fir, larch and European cedar - the most valuable conifers of the Alpine ecosystems. Interestingly, the local fir was used in construction as early as the 18th century, for example, for the construction of the Arsenal in Turin, the Basilica of Superga and the Castello Venaria Reale castle.
About 70% of the territory of "Gran Bosco di Salbertran" (total area of the park - 3775 hectares) is covered with forests, and the remaining 30% is occupied by pastures and alpine meadows. In total, the park contains over 600 species of plants, about 70 species of birds and 21 species of mammals, including deer, chamois and roe deer. The aviafauna is represented by such birds of prey as the sparrowhawk, buzzard, goshawk and kestrel. Among the nocturnal birds, in addition to the common owl living at low altitudes, one can hear an eagle owl and even a downy owl. There are black grouse, white and stone partridges, which are considered a real symbol of the Alpine avifauna.
Today, on the territory of the Gran Bosco di Salbertran Park, modern tourist resorts are combined with ancient mountain villages with their authentic atmosphere. Of the major attractions, the fortifications of Assietta and Exilles are worth noting, but there are many other evidences of human activity here. An example is the Trou de Touilles, a unique hydraulic device made 2,000 meters above sea level in the first half of the 16th century by a stone cutter from Ramat. The ecomuseum of the park, which opened in 1996, was named after this stonecutter - Colombano Romeo. Museum staff have developed a 7-kilometer circular educational route, following which you can see with your own eyes ancient buildings, tools and various structures that were used in the daily life of local peasants in the past. Among the unique cultural and architectural monuments are a 19th century glacier, a water mill, a kiln, charcoal heaps, a parish church with its treasures, a frescoed chapel of the Annunciation, etc.
