The national park of the Sibillini mountains
The Park is situated in the middle-western section of the Apennines, inside a huge karstic tectonic plain between Umbria and Marche and called Altipiani di Colfiorito.
The plateau consists of seven basins which were once ancient lake basins, partially drained by a natural process and partially by man.
The Marsh of Colfiorito is the most important entity of this particular phenomenon: it has a surface of about 100 hectares, and a thick aquatic vegetation. The Marsh has been declared of international interest by the Ramsar Convention for the features of its peatbog, for its richness in vegetal species, and as an excellent habitat for avifauna. The system of plateaus is enclosed by the calcareous ridges, divided by hill systems. The Altipiani di Colfiorito mark a great change in the landscape which from steep and harsh becomes sweet and undulating.
Around the karstic plains at the summit of the hills, there are the so called "castellieri", typical settlements of the 10th century B.C. up to the Roman conquest. Among the "castellieri" of the Park there is the one of Mt. Orve and, besides the town of Colfiorito, the ruins of the ancient town of Plestia are situated within the Protected Area. The territory of the plateaus is not only exploited for the traditional cereal and fodder cultivations, but also for lentils and red potatoes.
The park of lake Trasimeno
The Park was created to protect and at the same time exploit Lake Trasimeno,
one of the largest lakes of the Italian peninsula with a surface of 128km/q,
a little less than Lake Como.
The Park includes all the surrounding area of the lake, and therefore also
the historical centres like Castiglione del Lago and Passignano. Lake Trasimeno
has been historically called "the lake of Perugia" and this definition
clearly highlights the importance that the lake basin has always had and
still has for all north-western Umbria and for the territory of the Tuscan
Chiana.
Lake Trasimeno has all the features of a great natural resource which must
be strictly protected and promoted as far as the uses compatible to its
conservation are concerned.
There are three islands in the lake: Polvese, Maggiore and Minore.
Cascate delle Marmore
From the east of Terni, there are the Cascate delle Marmore, the falls
formed by the River Velino at its confluence with the River Nera. The falls
were created by a Roman consul in 271 B.C. to prevent further marshiness
of the area The falls plunge down vertically in three leaps, a total drop
of 165m/545ft, and are illuminated in the period from May to August.
The dunarobba fossil forest
The Dunarobba fossil forest near Avigliano Umbro, was discovered in the
70s, but complete restoration is not yet finished.
All the trees belong to a family of sequoia which used to be present in
this part of Italy more than one million years ago. The particularity of
this forest is that the trees lay in a vertical position and not horizontally
as is the case of other fossil forests. This would confirm the theory that
a flood could have overwhelmed the forest preserving it in the shape we
admire today. The fossils have enormous dimensions: 1.5 m in diameter and
between 5 and 10 meters in high.
San Venanzo volcano park
The area occupied by the Volcano Park lies around 3 small volcanic craters,
each with a diameter of around 500 metres and a maximum height of 30 metres,
that were active some 250,000 years ago. The salt waters that covered the
area in prehistoric times are today known as the San Venanzo Sea, after
the nearby town of San Venanzo. But the area also has interesting geological
formations, such as the Pian di Celle tufa rock ring, 800 metres to the
south, or the Anello di lapilli di Celli, some 500 metres to the east of
Pian di Celle.
As well as offering the visitor a look at its volcanic craters and long-cold
lava flows, the Parco Vulconologico di San Venanzo is also known for the
rarity of some of the rocks and minerals that lie in its territory, the
best known being undoubtedly venanzite.
Monte cucco park
It is an Apennine mountain system dominated by Monte Cucco (1566 m).
Its Umbrian side descends down to via Flaminia, where it is possible to
see some important remains of the Roman period. It is the "womb of
the Apennines" with a complex hypogean system, karstic phenomena, underground
waters leading to the civic aqueducts, to the mineral springs and flowing
into the River Sentino. The Park is rich in fossils and virgin woods. Also,
it is possible to practice there different mountain sports: gliding, speleology,
and cross-country skiing.
