Adamello-Brenta Park

Access

Accessibility to the Park is guaranteed by various entry points, many of which are connected by both main roads and seasonal public transport, coming from places such as Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo, Carisolo and the main surrounding valleys. During the summer season, some access roads to the refuges are regulated, with the possibility of parking for a fee or a shuttle service, especially for sites such as the Vallesinella Refuge in Val Rendena. There are also several 'Case del Parco', themed visitor centres in Tovel, Carisolo, Spiazzo, Spormaggiore, Stenico, San Lorenzo in Banale and Daone, which provide information, hospitality and environmental education.

Introduction

The Adamello Brenta Natural Park is the largest protected area in Trentino and one of the most important in the Italian Alps, covering an area of 620.51 square kilometres in the western sector of the province of Trento, between the Giudicarie, Non and Sole valleys. Founded in 1967, the Park is distributed between two geologically distinct macro-areas: the Brenta Dolomites Group, famous for its spectacular Dolomite spires, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Adamello-Presanella granite massif, characterised by the presence of numerous glacial surfaces and the Mandrone vedretta, as well as the Lobbia and Lares glaciers. These two mountain complexes are separated by the Val Rendena furrow, traversed by the Sarca river, which constitutes an element of landscape identity.

Description

The considerable altitudinal variety, from 447 metres at the bottom of the valley to the 3,558 metres of the Adamello peak, favours the unfolding of differentiated ecosystems and habitats from coniferous and broadleaf forest environments (which cover about one third of the entire area) to alpine grasslands and rocky areas above 2,500 metres. The park includes 48 alpine lakes and the Adamello glacier, one of the largest in southern Europe; among the most significant elevations are the Presanella and the spectacular Brenta peaks. This landscape heritage is accompanied by an extraordinary wealth of flora and fauna: there are many endemic and symbolic alpine species, including the famous brown bear, protagonist of the Life Ursus reintroduction project, as well as ibexes, golden eagles, deer, roe deer and marmots. The park also protects the water quality of about eighty small lakes and numerous watercourses; Lake Tovel, known for the particular reddish colour it assumed in the past during algal blooms, is one of the sites of greatest historical and scientific interest.
From the anthropic and historical point of view, the area preserves evidence of rural settlements, mountain pastures and ancient sylvan-pastoral activities that have sustainably shaped the landscape of the valleys. The Park plays an active role in the conservation of the geomorphological and ecological heritage, as well as in the dissemination of science - also thanks to its recognition as a UNESCO Geopark since 2008. Numerous hiking trails connect mountain huts, refuges and panoramic viewpoints of exceptional scenic value, offering opportunities for study and naturalistic discovery, as well as a dense network of thematic routes that tell local legends and stories linked to the Alpine valleys.

Information

Area: 620.51 km²
Minimum altitude: 447 m a.s.l.
Maximum altitude: 3.558m (Monte Adamello)
Municipalities concerned: Andalo, Bleggio Inferiore, Bocenago, Breguzzo, Caderzone, Campodenno, Carisolo, Cavedago, Cles, Commezzadura, Cunevo, Daone, Darè, Denno, Dimaro, Dorsino, Flavon, Giustino, Massimeno, Molveno, Monclassico, Montagne, Nanno, Paspardo, Pelugo, Pinzolo, Ragoli, San Lorenzo in Banale, Spiazzo, Spormaggiore, Sporminore, Stenico, Strembo, Tassullo, Terres, Tione, Tuenno, Vigo Rendena, Villa Rendena
Year of institution 1967
Managing body: Ente Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta, via Nazionale 24, 38086 Strembo (TN)
Official website: www.pnab.it