• Active & Green
    • Parks
    • Unesco Sites
    • Art & Culture

Nature in Lombardy: five landscapes to die for

Orchids and plants from faraway lands are well acclimatised to their new life between lakeshores and neoclassical facades. Purplish-silver limestone slabs engraved with history and the Stelvio Wilderness. The nature in Lombardy is gorgeous.

 

1. Pavia’s botanical garden
The orchid house plays host to lovingly-tended plants from the Americas and Asia. All shapes and shades are here. You can also see plants from the Apennines of Pavia, the area south of the river Po (“Oltrepò”) where grapes grow, and much more. A profusion of colours can also be admired in the Tomaselli tropical greenhouse built in 1974, and the flowerbeds containing native plants from the Lombard plains. The pivot point of the Pavia botanical garden (established at the end of the 18th century for study and research) is the large plane tree planted at the time of its foundation and the keeper of its history. Don't miss it.

 

2. Stelvio national park
Anyone who has walked or cycled the route will know about the series of hairpin bends on the Lombard side flanked by woods, alpine meadows and rocky outcrops that lead inexorably to the Stelvio pass, the highest pass in Italy (2.757 m). Trekkers and cyclists owe a debt to the engineer Carlo Donegani, who was charged in the early 19th century by Francis II of Habsburg-Lorraine with planning a road to connect Bormio to Val Venosta. At a little under 600 km2, the Lombard sector is the largest of the three National Park sectors established in 1935. It can be explored through guided tours, workshops and activities at the Valfurva visitors centre While you are there, don’t miss the timeless lands of the upper Braulio Valley and a horseback ride around the Cancano Lakes.

 

3. Gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril
Do you know of anywhere else able to combine with such panache a chapel, a Moorish-style shrine, Egyptian statues, an Orangery that is now a museum of Napoleonic treasures, a 19th-century villa and an 800 metre parterre? Get ready for a surprise when you arrive at the neoclassical Villa Melzi d’Eril, in Bellagio, on Lake Como, built for Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Vice President of the Republic established in Italy by Napoleon. The gardens, designed by Luigi Canonica and Luigi Villoresi, literally hug the lakeshore. See if you can find the camphor tree among the many other exotic plants from the smell of their leaves. Opening: March-October.

 

4. Villa Reale of Monza
The villa's rose garden (commissioned by Maria Teresa of Austria in 1780) was designed by the architects Francesco Clerici and Vittorio Faglia in one of the formal gardens of the Archducal Residence of Monza. It houses a permanent collection and a temporary collection associated with the International Rose Competition. This has been held since 1965 and was patronised by Princess Grace of Monaco in 1970. The roses, some climbing and some trained on pergolas, inhabit an extraordinary park with maples, anemones and hawthorns. It is criss-crossed by avenues and paths where you can run and walk all year round. You can even hire bicycles for children.

 

5. Park of Rock Engravings
Art or nature? The Park of Rock Engravings of Nacquane, in Capo di Monte, Valle Camonica, somehow succeeds in being both natural and manmade. The 200,000 engravings, symbols and signs of Neolithic origin would not exist without the landscape of rocks and slabs that form canvases of purplish-grey sandstone. The 104 slabs are smoothed by the action of glaciers and engraved using sharp instruments. The area is protected as a park, the first in Italy to be recognised as a UNESCO Heritage site.

-

Photo Villa Melzi d’Eril | Adobe Stock

On the same topic

Excursions to Zelo Buon Persico

An itinerary to discover the canals and natural beauty of Lodigiano
  • Active & Green
Excursions to Zelo Buon Persico

Spine-tingling Lombardy: discovering 5 mysterious places in our region

  • Active & Green
Lombardia da brivido - Faccia del Diavolo

Train & Bike Valtellina

Discover Valtellina with the Train& Bike offer!
  • Active & Green
Train & Bike Valtellina

E-bikes in Lombardy

The bicycle is definitely the ideal way to discover an area, thanks to the e-bike, cycling tourism is just within everyone's reach!
  • Active & Green
Po park bicycle path

The Salt Route

From Varzi to the sea
  • Active & Green
Via del Sale

Kitesurf in Lombardy

Where to do kitesurfing in Lombardy
  • Active & Green
Windsurf, Como lake

A summer at the summit

Backpack and discover the best treks and outdoor activities #inLombardia
  • Active & Green
Trekking in Lombardy

Val Trompia, where nature and ancient mines await visitors

Be ready for a great vacation in Val Trompia to discover natural treasures amidst huts and trails winding down the forest in Zone and reaching up to mounts Guglielmo and Maniva.
  • Active & Green
Brescia tra natura e antiche miniere: la Val Trompia

Hiking with the Family

  • Active & Green
Trekking @inlombardia adobestock

Under the ground, to discover the caves of Lombardy

On a trip to the caves of Lombardy
  • Active & Green
Under the ground, to discover the caves of Lombardy

The high route of Valmalenco - presentation

The high route of Valmalenco is a trekking of 8 stage, around 110 km.
  • Active & Green
The high route of Valmalenco - presentation

Journey inside the Bagnada Mine

Municipality of Lanzada (SO)
  • Active & Green
Journey inside the Bagnada Mine

Artist’s giant benches

The hunt is on. Discover six of the brightly coloured, supersized Big Benches by Chris Bangle that are adding to the scenery in Lombardy.
  • Active & Green
Ph: I Mille

Six destinations with surprises

A visit to Lombardy in the autumn means discovering plenty of surprises hidden in the foliage of the woods, lovely castles on the lakes, and city cathedrals, that give you immersive experiences with plenty of mystery and beauty.
  • Active & Green
Six destinations with surprises

Parco delle Orobie della Valtellina

A nature park just waiting to be discovered on long hikes or on the saddle of a mountain bike
  • Active & Green
Il parco delle Orobie

Snowshoe walking in Prato Valentino: Anello Verdomana

Silenzio ovattato, inebriante profumo di bosco, tracce di animali selvatici sulla neve e fantastici panorami. È quanto si può godere compiendo un'attività fisica alla portata di tutti e poco dispendiosa: le escursioni con le racchette da neve.
  • Active & Green
Snowshoe walking in Prato Valentino: Anello Verdomana

The most beautiful gorges!

The six most beautiful gorges to visit in Lombardy: those of Bellano and Nesso, the most famous, and the equally spectacular gorges of Caino, Cunardo, Val Taleggio and Via Mala
  • Active & Green
The most beautiful gorges in Lombardy - Bellano - discoveringbellano.eu

Cycling from Tresenda to Prato Valentino

  • Active & Green
Cycling from Tresenda to Prato Valentino

Rock climbing walls

The Campo dei Fiori crag is an open-air gym for all lovers of sports and alpine climbing.
  • Active & Green
Rock climbing walls

Lecco from Monte Resegone

Lecco – a city caught between the water and the mountains – is always looking upwards.
  • Active & Green
Resegone