North Grigna Park

North Grigna Regional Park spans over an area of more than 5000 hectares around the massif of Grigne, one of the most well-known mountain groups in the region.

The wonderful limestone, with its unique formations, provides the backdrop for beech forests and pastures, which alternate to create an environmental mosaic, which man has skilfully enriched with the practice of traditional agriculture (the foundation of the area's renowned dairy production).

The limestone substrate has also contributed to the creation of karst environments, which help to form extremely peculiar phenomena, such as caves, sinkholes, swallow holes and furrowed fields. The park is also renowned for the fossils of great paleontological importance discovered here along with glaciers, the subject of many studies since the time of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Despite its rather modest altitude (with the highest peak of 2409 metres), North Grigna Regional Park is home to a great variety of habitats and climatic conditions along its slopes. In fact, this environment is optimal for the wintering of birds. The largest bird of prey in this massif is the Golden Eagle. The park also provides the habitat for mammals such as the hare, red deer, roe deer, the chamois of the Alps and bats.

Many rare plant species stand out against the grey cliffs and scree. The park's prestigious flora is even enriched by species endemic to the Park (or the immediately surrounding area), representing exclusive and original natural treasures, such as the Minuartia grignensis and Primula grignensis.

Caves, sinkholes, ploughed fields and natural arches make this area an open-air museum where you can learn about the local evolutionary history, against a magnificent backdrop. Finally, the park's fascinating ice caves (the cavities where ice formations are found) represent an additional local treasure, from both a scientific and historic standpoint.