Tipologia
A LAND OF DISCOVERY
The north-western landscape of the Mantua province stands out for a strip of moraine hills called Colline Moreniche mantovane. The belt formed during the ice age because of the progressive collection of rock material dug by the Benacus glacier during different Pleistocene expansion and withdrawal phases (between 200,000 and 10,000 years ago), and it is the most outstanding element of the northern course of the Mincio. The hills are quite low, average between 100 and 150 meters above sea level but hardly reach 200 meters in height. The low elevation of the hill belt and the small valleys among them outline a delightful landscape; the areas that are not farmed are populated by downy oak (quercus pubescens) thermophilic woods and, on the northern hillsides, turkey oak (quercus cerris) and south European flowering ash (fraxinus ornus), alternating with peat bogs and delicate dry meadows, typically found in sun-exposed slopes. Dry meadows feature, especially in the spring, precious seasonal flowering plants, including several orchid species, among others, green-winged orchid (orchis morio), pyramidal orchid (anacamptis pyramidalis), early spider orchid (ophrys sphecodes) – and the rare prairie crocus (pulsatilla montana). The forests feature kneeholm (ruscus aculeatus), common hawthorn (crataegus monogyna) and smoketree (cotynus coggygria) shrubs, while in late spring visitors may admire violet limodore (limodorum abortivum). The fauna is not easy to spot; it mostly inhabits the quieter and more secluded forests and slopes. The main species are mammals, small reptiles, insects and, needless to say, birds, whose songs and sounds resonate in the woods and above the treetops. Given their environmental and landscape importance, as well as the wealth of outstanding historical and monumental sites – and last but not least the local cuisine – the moraine hill belt is ideal to explore in every season, to discover an area that will not fail to impress you, round every corner and past every hilltop.
Travelling from Milan, Venice or Trento, to get to the Morainic Hill district by Lake Garda take the A4 motorway and come off at the Desenzano, Sirmione or Peschiera exits. From the south, take the A22 Brennero-Modena motorway as far as the Mantova Nord exit then the state highway for Goito and Castiglione delle Stiviere. Verona and Brescia international airports are only 20-30km away, as are Verona, Peschiera and Desenzano del Garda train stations.