PARKS

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  SAN GHERARDO NATURE RESERVE

  San Gherardo Nature Reserve, with its birdwatching facilities and reptile and amphibian sanctuaries, is dedicated to the protection and conservation of local bio-diversity. Set up in a former gravel pit, the Reserve is the result of a long re-qualification process, reviving an area severely deplete by quarrying. Two vast drainage basins were created in the 68 hectare area along the banks of the Reno River, where trees, bushes, acquatic plants have been planted creating an ideal ecosystem in which rare plant and animal species, such as dragonflies, butterflies and freshwater reptiles and amphibians such as swamp tortoises, tritons, green and red frogs, toads and tree frogs can prosper. The ecological complexity of these wetlands has been enriched by the plantation of trees and bushes along the perimeter, creating an ideal sanctuary in which migrating birds can feed, breed and rest. Today the Refuge is home to typical wetland birds such as ducks, mallards grebes, grey herons, kingfishers, snipes and moorhens which nest along the Pliocene cliff walls.

  
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  NOVA ARBORA BOTANICAL GARDEN

  A collection of plants, set in their natural habitat, in continuous transformation with the flow of the seasons. This is the Nova Arbora Botanical Garden, a former farmhouse located within the confines of the Contrafforte Pliocenico Nature Reserve, near the town of Badolo. Donatella, the gracious proprietor who welcomes and offers thorough and fascinating information to her guests and students, has chosen to recreate a series of different environments, such as a wetland bog and pond, rock gardens, dry stone walls, fern forests and aromatic and medicinal herb beds. More than 1000 species of plants are here to be discovered: trees, bushes, perennial and annual herbs, but also poisonous, edible and hallucinogenic plants, as well as acquatic plants that are nearly extinct elsewhere in Italy.

  
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  CONTRAFFORTE PLIOCENICO

  Declared a Site of Community Importance (SCI) by the European Commission and used as a nature Reserve, Contrafforte Pliocenico is truly an open-air geological museum. The term \"contrafforte\" means a natural bastion or wall made up of an alignment of sandstone cliff-faces, running from Sasso Marconi to Pianoro and Monzuno, all the way to Val di Zena. The adjective \"pliocenico\" refers to the age of these rocks, formed during the Pliocene era which began more than 5 million years ago and ended just less than 2 million years ago. These spectacular rock faces are the result of the sedimentaion of sand and gravel carried in by the Setta, Reno, Savena and Idice Rivers, which empty into the Padana Plains, in those days submersed by the sea. When the Appennine range next experienced a geological rise, these rocks were elevated to over 600 m. Innumerable microclimatic situations create a one-of-a-kind wealth of flora and fauna, from the mediterranean xerophyte woods in the driest, sunniest parts, to the thick woods on the cool and damp hillsides, with their luxuriant undergrowth. Amongst the fauna to be found here, it is not unusual to see birds of prey, such as the perigrin falcon, woodpeckers nesting in the tall trunks in the woods,river shrimp and several species of tritons.

  
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  EXOTIC WILDLIFE PROTECTION CENTER MONTE ADONE

  Tigers, lions, panthers and chimpanzees, who would ever have thought to meet that kind of animal in the middle of the Appennines? But indeed they are there: at the foot of Monte Adone, a local family, together with a host of volunteers, in accordance with the Minister for the Environment, has opened a sanctuary for exotic animals, mostly imported illegally for profit, as pets or for shows (like itinerant zoos and circuses) and then often mistreated and abandoned. An incredible variety of species have found a home here: tigers, lions, chimps,but also parrots, reptiles and indigenous fauna such as deer who have been hit by cars, wounded hawks, poisoned or abbandoned pets, each one with its own trail of misfortune but which brought them eventually to their own happy ending, thanks to the care provided by the sanctuary's volunteers. Many of these creatures, such as the tigers, lions and chimpanzees, have found a permanent home here, since the costs of re-abilitating them to re-adapt to their natural habits are prohibitive.

  
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  PRATI DI MUGNANO

  Ideal for picnics and cookouts (there are barbecues available), or for a romantic sunset cocktail, Prati di Mugnano park is one of Bologna's best loved get-aways. If you are dreaming of spending a totally restful day, admiring the splendid panorama of the Reno River valley, this is the place. Instituted in 1974, the park extends over 110 hectares along the right bank of the Reno and offers a variety of environments: from the stoney river banks to the woods, from the high rock walls to the stream beds of the numerous torrents that snake through the valley. Consequently the flora and fauna are equally richly diversified: in amongst the oak groves, mixed cedars and sparse woodlands, we find deer, forest birds such as blackbirds, robins and nightingales, reptiles such as green frogs and toads and various specied of lizards. Many hiking trails, adapted to all kinds of walkers, cross Prati di Mugnano park, notably the “Via degli dei,” or pathway of the gods, linking Bologna and Florence.

  
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  MONTE ADONE

  655 meters high, Monte Adone is the tallest peak in the Sasso Marconi municipal territory and of the Contrafforte Pliocenico (Pliocene Cliffs) in the area south of Bologna. Its rocky towers made of stratified pliocene sandstone, carved by wind and erosion, have turned it into one of the most popular landmarks for hikers who want to enjoy the refreshing coolness and magnificent view from its summit. Despite its Pagan name, no artifacts have come to light attesting to the presence of any ancient temple to Adonis. On the contrary, many legends have grown up around it, inspired by its bizzarre cracks and dark caverns, such as the Fairy Cave, where they say that floating female figures dressed in white have appeared. But Monte Adone is known especially for being located along the Gothic Line, a system of defense built during the Second World War by the Germans along the crest of the Appennine Mountains from Pesaro to Massa Carrara to defend the Padana Plains. Shelters, trenches and depots where weapons and ammunition were stored to try to hold back the advance of the Allies can still be seen along the trail leading from Prati di Mugnano to Monte Adone.