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| Upper Varaita Valley
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| Territory - Habitat - History - Architecture - Tourism - Sports |
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In the upper part of the Varaita Valley the vegetation is made up mainly of coniferous woods (larch, scots pine and some fir pines), while the broad-leaved trees (such as maple, mountain ash, birch, laburnum, chestnut and hazel trees), are only found in small groups or as single trees. |
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On the hillsides of Mount Viso, between 1500 and 2500 meters of altitude, there is a huge wood of Swiss pines called "Bosco dell' Alevé" ("the Alevé Forest" which in langue d'oc means Pinus Cembra).
The wood covers approximately 825 hectares within the districts of Sampeyre, Castedelfino and Pontechianale and is truly extraordinary in terms of extension, considering that this type of conifer is rarely able to colonize large areas. the Alevé Forest was already well-known in Roman times and there is a description of it by the naturalist Pliny the Elder. |
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Pinus Cembra is easy to recognize due to its very long and soft pine needles, which have a different color on the upper (dark green) and lower (silver green) sides. It's a very long-lived tree (it can reach 500 years of age and can grow up to 20 meters tall).
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Besides a right natural environment and a suitable microclimate, the spreading of Pinus Cembra is also due to the presence of a particular bird, the spotted nutcracker, which in the fall hides its seeds in the ground for later use. Surplus seeds are left there and thus this species is responsible for the sowing of new trees. |
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Many animals live in the woods (chamois, deers, alpine ibexes, wild boars, groundhogs, squirrels, ermines, eagles, bearded vultures, hawks), and there are many spontaneous species of plants with flowers and berries (broom, rhododendron, dog rose, gooseberry, juniper, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, currant and various medicinal herbs). |
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Among the best edible mushrooms to be found in the area there are the porcino (boletus edulis), the parasol mushroom, and chanterelles and trumpets. |
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| Territory - Habitat - History - Architecture - Tourism - Sports |
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