Parco Naturale Regionale Campo dei Fiori

The Campo dei Fiori Regional Nature Park protects a pre-Alpine landscape north of Varese. Established in 1984 and enlarged in 2009, it covers about 6,300 hectares across seventeen municipalities and includes mountain, woodland, wetland and karst environments.

Why it matters

The park encompasses two mountain groups separated by the Valle Rasa: Campo dei Fiori, reaching 1,226 metres at Punta Paradiso, and the group that includes Monte Martica and Monte Chiusarella. Its limestone geology has produced an extensive karst system, with about 130 caves and more than 30 kilometres of mapped development. The park authority identifies twenty principal marked routes and long-distance trails, while the summit ridges offer views across the Alpine arc and Po plain.

What to notice

The landscape shifts from the southern slopes overlooking Lake Varese and the Sacro Monte to the higher limestone terrain and its caves. Six nature reserves protect a range of habitats, including Lake Ganna, Lake Brinzio and peat bogs. The Valle Rasa separates the two mountain groups and links Valcuvia with the Olona valley. The Geophysical Observatory ‘Città di Varese’ is another feature of the massif’s scientific and cultural landscape.

Context and history

The park was established in 1984 and enlarged in 2009 to its present extent of about 6,300 hectares across seventeen municipalities and two mountain communities in Varese province. Its protected area includes villages, pastures and woodland as well as wetlands and caves. The management authority is based in Brinzio, whose territory lies entirely within the park. The Sacro Monte occupies the park’s southern Varese slope, linking the protected landscape with one of the region’s principal religious sites.