Protected Area
Identity Card
- Bergeggi Regional Nature Reserve:
- Land Surface Area: 8.00 ha
- Regions: Liguria
- Provinces: Savona
- Municipalities: Bergeggi
- Establishment Measures: LR 10 27/02/1985 - LR 12 22/02/1995 - LR 32 21/04/95
- PA Official List: EUAP0278
- Park Authority: Comune di Bergeggi
- Further managed Protected Areas:
- Area Marina Protetta Isola di Bergeggi
- ZSC Fondali Noli - Bergeggi
- ZSC Isola Bergeggi - Punta Predani
The coastal stretch between Bergeggi and Spotorno has a varied
morphology alternating small beaches and short promontories to
overhanging cliffs, in which the sea dug some small caves.
In front of it, not too far from the mainland, there is the small Bergeggi Island,
a suggestive cone of calcareous rock reaching the 53 meters of height.
The island and the rocky coast facing it are part of Bergeggi Regional Nature Reserve since 1985.
It seems that in ancient times the island was linked to the coast by a
narrow rocky tongue, which was afterwards destroyed by the wave motion.
Nowadays it presents itself rocky and overhanging, only partly covered
by Mediterranean vegetation. Among the most interesting vegetal species
there are the Campanula sabatia, exclusive of western Liguria and the spurge (Euphorbia dendroides), a shrub which loses its leaves at the beginning of summer and recovers them in autumn.
The Marine Environment of the Cliff and Bergeggi Island
The seabed near the regional protected area of Punta delle Grotte cliff and Bergeggi Island is very interesting both from a geological and a biological point of view. The emerged calcareous cliff houses an important karst cavity, famous in the past mainly for the palaeethnological and paleontological finds and for the evidences of oscillations of the sea level during the Quaternary period. The study of the submerged parts of the cave has began in recent times, above all from a biological point of view. The researches have demonstrated that the Marine Cave of Bergeggi is a considerably diversified environment of great naturalistic value not only for its richness in karst phenomena, but also for the variety of biological populations, which make it a real natural lab.
The island of Bergeggi, situated at about 250 meters from the coast, has a sub-triangular form. The canal separating it from the mainland is not very deep (about 70-72 meters) and the seabed is generally sandy, with several rocky outcrops. The greatest depths can be found near the eastern coast, with small walls and rocky drops.
Even if the reduced dimensions of the island and the limited depths are the causes of a limited variety and heterogeneity of the seabed if compared to those of Gallinara, the two islands present similar aspects to which analogous populations correspond.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the presence of a species of tropical origins, the Oculina patagonica (Antozoi Sclerattiniari), which can be found in Italy only in Bergeggi and Albisola. The small distance between the two places can explain this presence with the transport carried out by some ships.
The Botanic Trail
The territory of Bergeggi is characterized by a great variety of vegetable species and by its accessibility from the main ways of communication, by land and by sea. Therefore, it represents an ideal place for the creation of a botanic trail with important didactic, educational, and tourist aims.
For these reasons, a botanic route has been prepared along the trail linking Torre d'Ere to Gola S. Elena and continuing to S. Elena Fort, where you will enjoy a wonderful panorama of the coast of Liguria, to cross then Natte cork oak woodland and reach via Luccoli.
The route is equipped with two showcases placed at the entrances and illustrating the rules of behavior, the map of the trails of Bergeggi, and the scheme of the route.
Along the route there are, on adequate bookstands, 18 vegetable species which are particularly representative of our flora, like: Sage-leaved Rockrose, Montpellier Rockrose, White-leaved Rockrose, Evy, Phyllirea, Ilex tree, Lentisk, Myrtle, Olive Tree, Navelwort, Pellitory, Aleppo Pine, Butcher's Broom, Cassie, Maddler, Sessile oak, Bindweed.
Next to a characteristic rural building working as an ancient farmers' shelter called "Teciu", there are two tables with benches.
