VALLE DEL TICINO NATURAL PARK

The Park is placed south of Lago Maggiore,on the Ticino part between the same exit of the lake and its entrance to lombard territory inside the varied rural landscape survive mills and farm houses. Recently the restoration of the Old mill of Bellinzago has transformed it into an instructive actitivities headquarters and permanent expositive display.

The park is made up of a deep valley that progressively widens with less steep slopes full of forests and river loops. In the south, the valley widens creating a series of gravel and river islands branches, periodically submerged by the flood. This zone is characterised by the presence of numerous lanche in which water slowly flows favouring the development of a rich aquatic vegetation. The other characteristic of the park is the presence of springs, sites in which water maintains a constant temperature all year round allowing a rich and luxuriant vegetation.
The woods occupy 60% of the park's area with traces of the original flat wood with deciduous trees like the British oak, European hornbeam, and false acacia (invasive). The underwood is characterised by the hazel, the blackthorn and the hawthorn . The Spring herbaceous blooming of the dog's-tooth-tree, the squill, the periwinkle and the primrose so are a characterising note of the park. It's of a particular interest the aquatic vegetation of the lanche with the presence of the water-lily , the spatterdock, the common reed etc.
Among mammals we remind the squirrel ,the rabbit, the hedgehog. There is also the hare a species that is not autochthonal, put in through the repopulation in a venatorial aim. Among the birds we can find the mallard, the grey heron , the moorhen , the pheasant , among the fishes the trout the luce, the char.