Riserva Regionale Monte Prinzera

A solitary ophiolite relief along the ancient Via Francigena

A dark rock between the soft hills of the Taro Valley: it is the outline of Mount Prinzera, an ophiolite outcrop in the landscape of the Parma Apennines. A 736-meters-high relief situated on the ridge dividing the Taro and the Sporzana, characterized by a rugged and wild look. Besides the ophiolites, magmatic rocks coming from the ancient sea bottoms (about 200 million years ago), there are different sedimentary allochthonous formations, such as clay, flysch, marl and sandstone.
The plants compose a mosaic consisting of mixed woods, shrublands, grasslands, wetlands.
The ophiolite environment's vegetation (covering cliffs, debris slopes and dry grasslands) is very important because it is rich in rare species. A noteworthy biodiversity is proved by the newest wildlife researches that led to the identification of more than 120 bird species and more than 500 butterfly species.
Men left precious signs, from the settlements dating back to the Bronze Age to the Medieval evidences linked with the Via Francigena; from the napoleonic Cisa road to the so-called Zappatori's mule tracks of the early 20th century.