| Duchess Mountains Regional Reserve | |
 | |
Location  | |
| Area type | Natural reserve |
|---|---|
| State | Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Territory | Rieti |
| Surface | 3,543 ha |
| Foundation year | 1990 |
| Institutional website | |
Mountains of the Duchess regional nature reserve is a protected area located in Lazio.
To know
The name "Montagne della Duchessa" was coined by the Bolognese engineer Francesco De Marchi in the 16th century. in homage to Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Parma is Piacenza and the Duchy of Lioness is Cittaducale. The eastern and southern border of the protected area coincides with the regional border of the neighboring Region Abruzzo overlapping that of the Sirente-Velino Regional Natural Park, together with which it protects an ecological unicum representative of the Apennine ecosystem.
Geographical notes
THE Monti or le Mountains della Duchessa close to the east that part of the Valle del Salto which, topped north-west by Monte Nuria, is called Cicolano, merging to the south in the Sirente-Velino chain. With a total length of about 10 km, geomorphologically they are part of the north-western sector of the Sirente-Velino group in the central Abruzzo Apennines and include several peaks that reach and exceed 2000 meters: the Costone (2,239 m), Murolungo (2,184 m), Monte Morrone (2,141 m), Punta dell'Uccettu (2,004 m) and Monte Cava (2,000 m), furrowed by deep valleys including the Teve Valley, which separates them from the Monte Velino massif, the Vallone di Fua, the Vallone del Cieco and the Amara Valley. The western slopes, although with a higher difference in height and steep, are less harsh and wild than the respective eastern slopes due to the erosion of the ice in past geological eras.
Flora and fauna
Flora
In the Reserve there are various types of vegetation linked to ecological factors such as altitude, exposure, the nature of the mother rock and the type of soil, and past use by man. Simplifying the complexity of the plant reality, in general, as the altitude increases, we pass from more or less thermophilic woods (literally "lovers of heat") to mesophilic woods (typical of stations with intermediate thermal conditions) and micro-thermal forests (typical of stations with temperatures very low), which then give way to shrubs and high altitude meadows.
In the hilly and lower mountain plain, up to about 1000-1100 m, there are oaks of downy oak (Quercus pubescens) or Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), accompanied by the black hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia), the opal maple ( Acer opalus) and Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanum). Still in this altitudinal plane, the fields cultivated until the fifties and then abandoned and the areas completely deforested in the past are now occupied by common juniper shrubs (Juniperus communis), juniper oxide (Juniperus oxycedrus), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and other shrubs . In the intermediate mountain plain there are mainly mixed broad-leaved woods still characterized by Turkey oak but above all by the black hornbeam, the hornbeam (Fraxinus ornus), the opal maple, the hazelnut (Corylus avellana) and some sporadic beeches (Fagus sylvatica).
Going up towards the high mountain plain, the beech becomes prevalent over the other broad-leaved trees. Around 1650–1700 m, the beech forest is replaced by shrubs with dwarf juniper (Juniperus nana). On the rocky walls located between 900 and 1300 m and exposed to the southern quadrants there are colonies of holm oaks (Quercus ilex). The linden (Tilia cordata), the greater ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and the mountain elm (Ulmus glabra) vegetate in the wet and fresh valley bottoms. Finally, in the bottom of the Val di Teve there are some individuals of the rare birch (Betula pendula), evidence of an ancient forest vegetation linked to the last glacial cycles.
Species of particular phytogeographic interestMore than 500 plant species have been registered in the territory of the Reserve. Among the rarest and most interesting species are: Dryopteris villari subsp. villari, Paeonia officinalis subsp. villosa, Matthiola italica, Saxifraga ascendens subsp. parnassica, Saxifraga exarata subsp. ampullacea, Alchemilla plicatula, Amelanchier ovalis subsp. cretica, Astragalus danicus, Grafiaullaka, Ligusticum lucidum subsp. cuneifolium, Gnaphalium diminutum, Tragopogon pratensis subsp. minor, Fritillaria tenella, Allium linear, Luzula sieberi subsp. sicula, Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. sardorum, Nigritella rubra subsp. widderi, Corallorhiza trifida.
Fauna
The fauna of the reserve is represented by an abundant number of species; so far 227 species of insects, 9 of amphibians, 10 of reptiles, 97 of birds, 38 of mammals have been counted. This richness is attributable to the geographical location of the area in question, which coincides with the meeting point of at least three potential directions for the movement of wildlife: Sirente-Velino, Monti Simbruini-Monti Carseolani-Monti del Cicolano, Monti della Laga-alta Valle dell'Aterno-complex of Monte Nuria; thanks to its position, the area of the Duchess Mountains is therefore an area of exceptional biogeographical value.
AvifaunaAmong the 97 bird species recorded in the reserve, 81 are nesting. Among the birds of prey it is easy to observe the kestrel, the peregrine falcon, the lanner falcon, the lodolaio falcon and the buzzard. The golden eagle appears only in passing, as it breeds on the nearby Mount Velino. Among the nocturnal birds of prey there are also the barn owl, the owl, the tawny owl and the very rare eagle owl. For visitors to the Reserve it is almost obvious to spot the griffon vulture, present with a large colony, the result of the success of a reintroduction project carried out in the last fifteen years at the foot of the Velino by the State Forestry Corps. In the woods you can spot jays, peaks and in the low altitude areas, in the summer, the hoopoe. Very important is the presence of the rock partridge at high altitudes, which survived despite the strong hunting pressure suffered before the establishment of the protected area. Along the shores of the lake you can meet some occasional migratory Anatidae such as the mallard, the tufted duck and the garganey.
Minor faunaAmong the small mammals we find the squirrel, the weasel, the dormouse, the shrew, the oak, the terrestrial vole. In the meadows of altitude there is the snow vole, whose distribution in the rest of the Central Apennines (Sibillini, Gran Sasso and Maiella) is the result of the last glacial events. In the caves of the Reserve there are numerous species of Chiroptera of particular rarity. Among the reptiles there are the Orsini viper, which frequents the high altitude steppe pastures and feeds mainly on Orthoptera, the common viper, the rat snake and the little worm; for amphibians we point out the crested newt, present with a conspicuous population in the Lake of the Duchess.
Large mammalsAmong the ungulates, in addition to the ubiquitous wild boar, there is that of the deer, which settled in the Reserve following a reintroduction operation carried out by the State Forestry Corps in the nearby Monte Velino Nature Reserve in the early nineties. Also noteworthy is the presence of roe deer, which came spontaneously due to the expansion of the populations present in the Abruzzo region. The carnivores are represented by the stone marten, the badger, the marten (believed to have disappeared and recently identified in at least two locations), the elusive wild cat and at least one pack of Apennine wolves. The Marsican brown bear has left traces of its passage, but the limited extension of the reserve leads us to consider it as an occasional or transit species.
When to go
The climatic parameters show some differences due to the altitude extension of the Reserve which varies from altitudes around 800 m up to maximum altitudes above 2200 m. The trend of precipitation (as recorded by the meteorological station of Avezzano) takes on two different types:
- Mediterranean type with maximum values in autumn and subordinately in spring;
- continental type with well distributed rainfall in winter and summer. Snowfall is also recorded in March and April.
On average, annual rainfall is around 1000–1200 mm at high altitudes, while at the bottom of the valley there is rainfall of about 700 mm. Even the average rainfall of the summer quarter, well distributed (about a third of the annual one) does not suggest a prolonged period of dryness. The average temperatures oscillate between 4 and 7 ° C in the higher altimetric bands and pass to 10-12 ° C in the valley floor areas. The average temperature of the hottest month is around 24 ° C while the average temperature of the coldest month is around 6 ° C.
Background
The area was inhabited in ancient times by the Equi, an ethnic group belonging to the Osco-Umbrian group (from Aequicolanus). Their traces can be found in the "oppida" of Monte Frontino, at 1167 m above S. Stefano di Corvaro, at Colle Civita, at 951 m above the Spedino cemetery, in Castelluccio, at 932 m above the Villas.
Numerous signs with epigraphs scattered here and there throughout the territory, remains of the Roman age in Colle Pezzuto and Campo di Mezzo, testify to the Romanization that took place between the fourth century BC. and the third century BC. The most important archaeological emergence is the burial mound of Corvaro, falling in the locality of Montariolo, whose chronological arc goes from the end of the 9th century BC. to the 2nd century BC, 1st century BC. The excavations carried out to date have brought to light some hundreds of tombs. A similar (but smaller) necropolis to that of Corvaro has been identified and partially excavated in the Reserve. Not far from the Corvaro tumulus, in the locality of S. Erasmo, there was a sacred area with a spring whose waters were attributed thaumaturgical properties.
In the Middle Ages the work of the Benedictines spread in the area who, supported by the Lombards first and then by the Franks, gave a strong impulse to economic activities and had the most important center in the church of Santa Anatolia. Important hermitages dot the slopes of the Duchess: the hermitage of S. Costanzo in Bocca di Teve and the hermitage of S. Leonardo in the valley of Fua. The invasions of the Saracens favored the construction of castles, so much so that towards the end of the 10th century in Cicolano there were about thirty.
The castles of Collefegato (the current Borgorose) is Corvaro they have parallel stories that often overlap as when, at the beginning of the fifteenth century, King Ladislao inserted them in a single countryside together with other castles. The county of Corvaro, which Bonomo da Poppleto was first invested with, subsequently passed to the Mareri and was later included in the county of Albe together with Santa Anatolia, Castelmenardo, Spedino, Torano and Latuscolo, first possession of the Orsini and then of the Colonna . The Collefegato castle remained in the Mareri family until the 17th century.
The importance of Corvaro in the Middle Ages is testified by the presence of a Franciscan convent, probably built in 1236, of which the remains are still today just outside the town: it is linked to the tradition of the "holy hood" which is believed, in popular belief, it belonged to S. Francesco. With the advent of Napoleon and the abolition of fiefdoms, the entire Cicolano passed to the district of Cittaducale and, in 1927, it was aggregated to the province of Rieti.
How to get
The Duchess Mountains can be reached from the west side of Cartore di Borgorose through hiking trails of medium length and altitude difference along the Valle di Teve, the Vallone di Fua or the Vallone del Cieco or from Corvaro di Borgorose going up the Valle Amara, the Valle dell'Asino up to Campitello and then climbing through the Punta dell'Uccettu and Monte Morrone. From the east side from Prato Capito on the road to Campo Felice crossing the Bosco di Cerasuolo, reaching the Campitello and joining the other route or from the Vincenzo Sebastiani refuge climbing up Vena Stellante (2271 m) and then gradually descending.
Permits / Rates
How to get around
What see
- 1 Lake of the Duchess. It is located at 1788 m a.s.l. in a highland basin between the rock walls of Murolungo (2184 m) and the slopes of Mount Morrone (2141 m) and the Costone-Uccettu subgroup (2239-2004 m) in a grassy area covered with buttercups in summer and is the refuge of the crested newt.
- The lake, 400 m long and 150 m wide, is a typical high-altitude mountain lake of meteoric origin presenting seasonal variations in level due to its being fed exclusively by atmospheric precipitation and melting snow since it has no tributaries. it seems indicative of an ancient fusion between two sinkholes. In winter it is totally frozen and covered with snow, while in summer it is a watering place for herds and flocks, reaching its minimum level and often cloudy and muddy.
- It can be reached from the west side of Cartore di Borgorose through hiking trails of medium length and altitude difference along the Vallone di Fua or the Vallone del Cieco or from Corvaro di Borgorose going up the Amara Valley, the Donkey Valley up to Campitello and then crossing between Punta dell'Uccettu and Monte Morrone with subsequent short descent. From the east side from Prato Capito on the road to Campo Felice crossing the Bosco di Cerasuolo, reaching Campitello and joining the other route or from the Vincenzo Sebastiani Refuge climbing up Vena Stellante (2271 m) and then gradually descending.
- The lake and the Caso Moro
- The lake became known nationally for a false declaration of misdirection in 1978 in the case of the kidnapping of Aldo Moro which led the police to have to look for Moro's body in the lake. On the same day, the Red Brigades hideout in via Gradoli in Rome was discovered.
- Village of Cartore. Abandoned village located in the mountain area of the nature reserve. The farmhouses and the old houses of the village have been renovated to serve as a widespread hotel.
What to do
Shopping
Where to eat
- In the town of Cartore, already ghost town, the recovery of some farmhouses has allowed them to be used to host tourists in a widespread hotel. The resort also has a restaurant.
Where stay
- 1 Casali di Cartore, in the village of Cartore (it can be reached from the exit Salto Valley of the A24 Rome-Teramo following the off to Cartore), ☎ 39 348 981 9343. In the village of Cartore, abandoned and become ghost town, some farmhouses have been refitted that now function as widespread hotel. The complex also has a restaurant.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- Borgorose
- Rieti - Considered by the authors of the classical age the geographical center of Italy (Umbilicus Italiae) was founded at the beginning of the Iron Age and became an important city of the Sabines; still today its territory is identified as "Sabina".
- Marsica - Historical, geographical and cultural region located in the neighboring territory Abruzzo.
- L'Aquila - It is slowly but tenaciously reborn after the earthquake of 2009. Santa Maria di Collemaggio, San Bernardino, the Spanish Fort, the Fountain of the 99 spouts are its major monuments.
Itineraries
- Franciscan sanctuaries in the Rieti plain - A path of nature, faith and art in the Sabina crossed by San Francesco, to visit the four Sanctuaries of the Holy Valley: Greccio, Poggio Bustone, The Forest, Fonte Colombo.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Duchess Mountains Regional Reserve
Commons contains images or other files on Duchess Mountains Regional Reserve
