North Adda Park

Introduction

Description

The park covers the riparian territories of the Adda, along the stretch that crosses the high plain, downstream of Lake Como. It presents an evocative landscape as, in the first stretch, the river flows between sunken banks, inside morainic amphitheatres and fluvio-glacial terraces, hiding in deep valleys and jumping into numerous rapids. Further downstream the river subsides, continuing slowly along the plain. The area is densely populated but still leaves room for numerous wooded areas, mostly located along the northern slopes of the river. The most naturalistically relevant areas include the reeded wetlands of Isola della Torre and Isolone del Serraglio, surrounded by meadows and tall trees. The marshy areas are home to a rich avifauna (swans, ducks, mallards, coots, little grebes, river nightingales, kingfishers, grey herons). Birds of prey include marsh harriers and eagle owls. The most characteristic amphibian is the tree frog, together with the green frog, the common frog, the Lataste frog and the common toad. In the thickets, foxes, beech martens, badgers, dormice and hedgehogs can be found. The park is home to remarkable examples of industrial archaeology, such as the workers' village of Crespi d'Adda and the iron bridge of Paderno d'Adda (unanimously considered a symbol of industrial archaeology in Italy). The Adda is also famous for the evidence left by Leonardo da Vinci in his paintings and hydraulic engineering works. The park authority has therefore established the 'Leonardo's Adda Ecomuseum', offering visitors 14 cultural itineraries along the middle course of the Adda to discover Leonardo's footprints (addadileonardo.com).

Information

Foundation year: 1977
Area:5,650 hectares
Maximum elevation:Mount Robbio (370m)
Municipalities concerned: Garlate, Cornate d'Adda, Calusco d'Adda, Crespi d'Adda, Trezzo sull'Adda, Cassano d'Adda
Institutional website: www.parcoaddanord.it
Contacts: addanord@tin.it