One of the Most Beautiful Nature Sanctuaries near Rome
Pineto Park is situated in the so-called "Valle dell'Inferno", reaching in the past the Vatican Walls and including furnaces and limescales from San Pietro Factory. Moreover, the area was also scattered with vineyards and farmhouses. In the late 16th century, a large villa was built by Pietro da Cortona for Sacchetti family, but it has been completely destroyed. The Park vegetation consists of Mediterranean maquis with an arboreal stratum dominated by Cork oaks; in the undergrowth, there are essences such as heather, cistus, mastic trees, myrtle and strawberry bushes blooming in spring. There is plenty of wildlife too: dormouse, field mouse and grass snake. In 1987 the Regional Urban Park was established and, and in 1989 the Reorganization Plan was drawn up by the Municipality of Rome: according to this plan, a 26 hectares strict nature reserve had to be established.
