Parco Alto Garda Bresciano

The Protected Area

The panorama of the Park is multicolored and charming. Its value derives from the particular geographic position, the geological structure, and the presence of the lake influencing the climate, the flora, and the fauna of the whole area. The unique features of this territory have transformed it into an ideal destination for different kinds of experiences surrounded by nature. The beauty of these places is praised by the particular synergy between the lake and the mountain enviroment, two fundamental elements of this extraordinary land.

(the following links lead to Italian texts)

Climate
It is a temperate climate, with warm-dry aspects differentiating the Lake of Garda from the other wetter and colder prealpine lakes.

Geology and morphology

• Valley of Garda
• Glaciers and moraines
• The mountains of Garda
• The waters and winds of the lake
• The rocks of the Caenozoic era
• The rocks of the Cretaceous period
• The rocks of the Early Jurassic period
• The rocks of the Late Jurassic period
• The rocks of the Triassic period

Vegetation
For thousands of years, woodlands and vegetation in general have accompanied man: timber is necessary to produce the fire to get warm, to cook, and to melt metals; it is used to build dams, cities, means of transport, tools, furniture; the destroyed vegetation offers to the farmer fertile soil for his cultivation; the tree, and plants in general, produce oxygen by using carbon dioxide, which is toxic for us; vegetation consolidated the soil, protects it from the erosive action of water and wind, offers shelter to animals.

Fauna
Flora is strictly linked to fauna: the presence of a certain animal species depends on the kind of vegetation present; for instance, from Rocca del Garda up to Desenzano we can distinguish a canebrake area where the reeds emerge among rush and carex forming an ideal shelter for insects, aquatic molluscs, and some kind of fish.

The Park

In the Park there are several territorial realities of great naturalistic and landscape value: Riviera del Garda, with its Mediterranean-like climatic and vegetational features, and the mountain hinterland reaching the two thousand meters of altitude. The Park coastal strip represents one of most known and appreciated Italian tourist-naturalistic environments at an international level.

• Tourism (Italian text)

Further information (Italian text)

Traditions and Professions

In Alto Garda Bresciano, both Riviera Gardesana, whose economy is based on tourism, and the most inner areas, which are linked to breeding and agriculture, still preserve values, rhythms of life and traditions which are typical of a simple and ancient culture. Popular and material culture is an integral part of the humanistic heritage of these places as much as the "highest" artistic evidences are, and is an essential element of the charm that these places have both for the occasional visitor discovering for the first time folkloric elements and handicrafts of great value, and for the local citizen who is able to keep in touch with his roots.

• Popular traditions (Italian text)
  Processions, games, rituals marking the passing of years and seasons, local folklore, religious celebrations, and customs linked to the traditional economy...