Cinque Vette Park

Did You Know?

• The park is sponsored by Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli.
• The Ghirla Lake was the location of the first ice skating contest of Italy in 1914.

History

Several historic settlements in the park date back to the prehistoric period. An old brewery in Liberty Architecture is also located within the park. The area gained relevance before and during the First World War due to a line of forts, bunkers, and trenches originally called the Great North Frontier, whose construction began in 1862. It aimed to protect Milan, Turin, Brescia, and Genoa from possible Swiss, German, and Austrian invasions. The fortification is named after General Luigi Cadorna, who supported its construction during World War I. The line involved 40,000 workers and cost hundreds of millions of old Italian Lira. None of these forts saw battle until World War II. The steel and cement line, later regarded as the Italian Maginot Line, is now a peaceful trail called the Sentiero di Pace. Protezione Civile di Cuasso al Monte restored the forts, and Comune di Marzio created an information point about them.

The five main peaks

The five main peaks range from 785 meters (Mount Derta) to 1159 meters (Mount Piambello). Mount Piambello, composed of volcanic rocks, dominates the Valceresio, Valganna, and Valmarchirolo. Its summit offers views of the Italian and Swiss Alps up to Monte Viso. The mountain features the Sass di Bol, a large monolith in red porphyry with steps carved for access. Mount Poncione di Ganna is a pyramid-shaped peak 993 meters high, descending steeply to Alpe Tedesco. Its top views include Valganna, Ganna and Ghirla lakes, Campo dei Fiori di Varese, and several other lakes and mountains. Mount Val de'Corni is a wide undulating ridge with a highest point of 993 meters and a prominence of 45 meters. It is squeezed between Mount Poncione and Mount Piambello and contains many curious porphyry formations. The ridge forms the watershed between Valganna and the Cavalizza valley, offering extensive views of the western Alps and mountains of the Province of Como and Province of Lecco.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation in the park is typical of the Northern Prealps. Chestnut woods dominate between 450 and 700 meters, with Mountain Maple, Field Maple, Ash, Oak, and White Hornbeam also present. Herbaceous flora includes anemone, crocus, primrose, periwinkle, liverwort, and lungwort; cyclamen and narcissus occur on calcareous soils. Above 900 meters, beech forests grow with undergrowth such as Prenanthes purpurea, Sorrel, Asperula Odorata, Lilium Martagon, Cyclamen, Solomon's Seal, and Firefly Grass. Anthropogenic reforestation of conifers is marginal, while locust trees appear along rivers and Lake Lugano. On Mount Piambello, heather and berry bushes grow densely. Mammals include foxes, moles, squirrels, badgers, wild boars, hedgehogs, and isolated deer; a young chamois was spotted in 2005. Birds include mute swan, mallard, moorhen, coot, Biancone, frosone, and Black Kite. Bats inhabit Valganna caves, Orrido di Cunardo, and Mount Pravello. Amphibians include common toad, common frog, latest frog, green frog, dalmatian frog, fire salamander, Italian tree frog, and dotted newt.

Activities

Several hiking trails are available. A circular route accessible from Cuasso al Monte, Marzio, and Valganna takes about four hours for 4.3 kilometers. An alternative trek from Cavagnano takes four hours with 400 meters ascent over 11 kilometers, passing Punta Paradiso and World War I trenches to Sasso Paradiso, then to Alpe Croce and Bocchetta Stivioni. Another 14-kilometer trail from Laghetto di Cavagnano takes four hours with 450 meters ascent, passing red porphyry boulders and cliffs, then Torrente Cavallizza, chestnut and beech woods, and up to Mount Poncione. A round tour of 3.5 hours with 350 meters ascent starts from Laghetto di Cavagnano and leads to Porto Ceresio, returning via a woodland path. A 12-kilometer circular trek from Cuasso al Monte Hospital takes 4.5 hours with 500 meters ascent, reaching Bocchetta dei Frati and the Sass Boll observatory near Mount Piambello. A shorter route from the same hospital takes two hours, covering 8 kilometers with 250 meters ascent.