Villoresi forest

The Oasis of the Villoresi Forest is located in the Municipality of Carugate in the province of Milan.

Established  through a collaboration between the municipality of Carugate and the WWF, the aim of the project was to restore the micro-environment of native trees that inhabited the Pianura Padana (Po Valley) many centuries ago. The main species include English oak, elm, hornbeam, black elderberry, Pallon May, hawthorn and rosehip.

Through the efforts of dozens of volunteers, this formerly degraded area (a landfill on the city outskirts) has grown into an urban forest benefitting both local residents and the wild fauna and flora that, even with difficulty, survive in the midst of the city's factories.

Thanks to the addition of new plants and ongoing maintenance efforts, the forest grew year after year is divided into different parts: the native forest, orchard, educational pond, the hill of scents, the educational apiary and the large pond.

During specific period of the year,  both ponds are fed with water from the river Ticino through the adjacent Villoresi channel where visitors can observe the reproduction and habitat of amphibians, insects and gastropod molluscs.

Two nature trails found inside the forest are equipped with cases for identifying the various trees, information boards that illustrate the environments found in the forest and a resting place with a "xylotheque" featuring fun facts about the various features and structures of the different trees.