The Stelvio National Park has been established in 1935 in order to
"protect and improve flora, increase fauna and in order to preserve
the special geological formations and the beauties of the landscape"
of the Ortler-Cevedale mountain range, moreover, in order to
"promote development of tourism" in some of the most beautiful
valleys of the Alps.
Thus the Stelvio National Park, which according to its extension is
by itself the most extensive of the Alps, represents only the heart
of an ever wider protected area which stretches over nearly 400,000
hectares.
Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio is the largest not only among the
historical Italian parks, but also in the whole Alpine chain.
It stretches
in the heart of the Central Alps and includes typical valleys shaped by the
action of ice and water flowing down from the imposing massif of the Ortles-Cevedale
group.
Majestic ridges, luxuriant forests, high mountain green grasslands crossed
by foaming streams springing from perennial glaciers form the landscape of
the Park.
Many rare animal and plant species live in wide ecosystems present
in territory thanks to its remarkable differences in height and to its
morphological variety.
The landscape is scattered with villages and "masi" at the bottom of the
valleys and on the mountain slopes: they are charming evidences of rural and
religious architecture which complete the setting in harmony with the
surrounding environment.
Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio covers an area of 134,620 hectares in
the heart of the Central Alps, and it includes the Ortles-Cevedale massif
and its lateral valleys. The protected area borders in the North with the
Swiss National Park of Engadina, in the South with Parco Regionale
dell'Adamello in Lombardy, and it is directly linked to the near Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta in Trentino. Towards the East, a few
kilometers away, there is Parco Naturale di Tessa, while in the West Parco di Livigno e della Valdidentro will soon be established.
This area lies in the center of the Alpine chain and in one of the largest and
most interesting protected territories in Europe. The idea to preserve this
great Alpine landscape dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and
became reality on 24th April 1935. At the beginning, the Park extended
itself for 96,000 hectares. In 1977, it was enlarged until it reached the
present area.
In the national park there are all the possible Alpine
formations: from the high altitude glaciers (Ortles 3,905 m), to the
mountain summer pastures and terraces, to the bottoms of valleys (Laces 650
m). Within the borders of the Park, it is possible to admire glaciers,
mountain summer pastures, wide woodlands, cultivated lands, mountain chalets
where people dwell all year long, villages, and towns.
As you can easily
imagine, for decades various interests have collided in the area: on the one
hand, people committed themselves to protect and maintain the natural area,
on the other hand, projects keeping the pace of progress and of technology
were presented, such as the extension of the road net, the use of hydraulic
energy, and the tourist exploitation of mountain areas.
The Park landscape
is marked by the typical harmonious presence of untouched Alpine territories
and cultivated areas. Hydro geologic conditions mark the landscape of the
national park, where glacial lakes and foaming mountain streams are present.
Wide ecosystems rich in flora and fauna exist thanks to the differences in
height and to the variety of the territory morphology.
Numberless valleys descend from the huge mountain massifs of Parco
Nazionale dello Stelvio: they have been more or less mastered by man,
and shaped by the erosion carried out by the glaciers of by the flows of the
watercourses.
Each valley has unique features: for instance, Val Venosta
alluvial cones are among the most extended of the Alpine ridge; the long Val
Martello, whose initial part is dominated by the Cevedale peak; the valley
of Trafoi, dominated by the Ortles and by many peaks covered with ice.
The Val dell'Ultimo is a green valley, rich in waters and lakes, like Val
del Rabbi that, along with Valle del Peio, is renown for its mineral and
curative waters. However, also in Valtellina, in Bormio and in Valfurva,
thermal waters have given birth to a very ancient tradition.
Through the most important valleys of the Park, ancient roads wind along the
itineraries followed by prehistoric hunters or by people looking for
minerals or transporting goods to exchange. For instance, along the road
from Bormio to Torri di Fraele, in the direction of Engandina and the Tyrol,
the important market-town of Glorenza was built: nowadays it is still
surrounded by walls, and it lies at the gates of the Park.
Along the ancient routes, villages and town districts have risen. The
colonization of the areas at higher altitudes and used as summer mountain
pastures started from these settlements in the 13th century. The summer
mountain grazing was an essential activity to survive at lower altitudes.
Many of the "malghe", still used today, offer hospitality to excursionists.
Many specimens of the Alpine fauna live in all the sections of Parco
Nazionale dello Stelvio, except the great predators which became extinct
because of man. We find herds of deer which prefer the
thick woods and the roe deer, which live at their
borders.
At higher altitudes, we can see the chamois
and in some valleys the wild goats have come back.
The
fox, the ermine, and the marmot cannot miss; there are also many squirrels,
hares, and less frequently we can find badgers and weasels. If we look up
among the branches of the trees, or up to the sky, we will find a number of
bird species, such as the chough, the raven, and the crow.
There are
woodpeckers, capercailzies, and hazel grouses.
There are also some birds of prey: the buzzard, the sparrow hawk, and the owl.
Various couples of golden eagles are nesting on
breathtaking walls and now it is also possible to see also the lammergeyer.
It is necessary not to forget the inhabitants of ponds and streams, and of
course the insects contributing to complete the food chain in the territory
of the Park.
Nature-loving people can find in the park territory a number of arboreal and
floral species beyond any possible expectation.
The difference in height from the lowest point to the Ortles peak, together
with a large variety of pedological situations and particular microclimates,
allows the growth of different and rare botanical species, such as a species
of the Ranunculaceae family, growing at more than 3,500 meters of
height, or the Soldanella pusilla, the Linnea borealis, and
the Drosera rotundifolia.
From wetlands to detrital areas, from calcareous to siliceous soils, each
clod of the earth is covered by a various and colored flora which catches
the eye.
More info are available on the Official site of the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio
