Foligno, Colfiorito Regional Park

Central Italy offers visitors unique and sensational natural spectacles. One of the most beautiful parks in central Italy is certainly the Colfiorito Regional Park in Foligno. It is a veritable treasure trove of biodiversity established in 1995 to protect 338 hectares between the towns of Casette di Cupigliolo, the Val di Chienti state road, Colfiorito, and Monte Orve. The Colfiorito Park Authority, which takes care of the protection of the park, is managed by the Municipality of Foligno.

The feature that makes this park very famous is the swamp at high altitude, a wetland of international importance. The Umbrian-Marche Apennine complex is truly a spectacle of nature, between undulating valleys enclosed within a crown of limestone ridges with a harsh and steep appearance. Here you will be able to see a natural area rich in vegetation and biodiversity attracted in particular by the humid area that hosts various habitats. The swamp alone extends for one hundred hectares and is the heart and the most important naturalistic system of the area.

The Colfiorito swamp

The plateaus appear as the bottom of ancient lake basins, naturally dried up thanks to reclamation works. In the Colfiorito swamp, the water remains throughout the year and is only subject to seasonal fluctuations because the water supply is of meteoric origin. The outflow, on the other hand, takes place through the Molinaccio, so-called because in the seventeenth century, a system was built that exploited the driving force of the water of the marsh. Inside the marsh, it is possible to admire a green and brilliant landscape: however, the plant communities are also linked to the water, to its depth, and to its permanence over time, developing both in the deepest and most permanent waters and in the more superficial areas.

Inside the park, there is not only the marsh but also flat areas for agricultural use, where potatoes and cereals are grown. Mount Orve also offers a relief completely covered by vegetation, including forests of hornbeam, Turkey oak, ash, maple, and juniper bushes, fragrant broom, and citrus. Agricultural activity and biodiversity have found an almost sacred balance within the Colfiorito Park and are absolutely to be preserved.

The fauna

The Colfiorito marsh, where the water remains all year round, is now a reference point for many species of birds. In the reeds, you can find several nests where the birds reproduce and feed. The presence of these birds led the Region to create the Park to preserve this balance. The paths within the park are varied and easily identifiable, allowing many to admire a truly spectacular place.