Adamello Brenta Nature Park
The most extensive protected area in Trentino
- The wild Val di Borzago, towards the Caré Alto Refuge
- At the springs of the Chiese, in the scenic Val di Fumo
- At the Mandron in Val Genova, at the foot of the largest glacier in Italy
The environment of the Park is typical of the south-central Alpine area, characterised by the mainly coniferous woods which blanket the slopes of the mountains up to an altitude of 1,800 m. Higher up, the forests — which cover one-third of the surface area of the Park — give way to Alpine meadows and rock-growing vegetation that can reach altitudes of over 2,500 m.
The protected area consists of a mountainous territory of 620.5 square km, between 477 and 3,558 m in altitude.
The environment is extremely varied and diverse: the flora includes forests of fir, beech and larch trees as well as flower-studded fields. Pastures, rivers, bogs and inaccessible rocky crags are present at all altitudes.
At its highest points, the landscape is spectacular and unique, characterised by the remarkable geological and geomorphological diversity of the two massifs that dominate the area: the Brenta Dolomites (World Heritage Site) and the Adamello-Presanella Group. Val Rendena marks the border which separates the two Groups. Both sides were formed by surface waters and glaciers beginning about 20 million years ago, when the Southern Alps emerged from the sea.
There are many valleys leading off to the sides, providing access to the wilder and more remote parts of the territory, where the many species of fauna present in the mountains can be glimpsed.
The geology is so unique that the Park has received Geopark status, thanks to its 61 geosites.