Oglio Sud Park: Discovering Educational Farms

Oglio Sud Park, in the provinces of Cremona and Mantua, can be explored along footpaths and cycle paths, or by canoe along the Oglio River, from Isola Dovarese to the Torre dell'Oglio pontoon bridge. Oglio Sud Park extends for approximately 3.500 hectares and spans the municipalities of Cremona, Brescia, and Mantua, south of the Oglio River. Its strategic location, stretching along the riverbanks, gives it a wide variety of landscapes, from lowland forests to wetlands, from agricultural areas to more rugged and wild areas.

Origins

Traces of settlements dating back to 10 BC have been discovered along the southern stretch of the Oglio River. The river played a vital role as a source of water and for fishing, but also for the movement of people, raw materials, and goods. These are characteristics it never lost throughout its long history. 

Flora

The park's vegetation is extremely diverse and reflects the diversity of its habitats. In the area along the banks of the Oglio River, there are willow and poplar forests, alternating with stands of alder, downy oak, and ash trees, typical of wetland areas. The alluvial forests and lowland woodlands are key habitats for numerous plant species, many of which are rare and protected.

The wetlands and flooded meadows, which are found along the banks of the river, are characterized by vegetation typical of marshes and transition zones, with plants such as cattails, sedges and rushes, which constitute the ideal habitat for numerous insects and aquatic birds.

Fauna

Oglio Sud Park is a refuge for an extraordinary variety of animals. Among the most significant are numerous species of aquatic birds, such as the black-winged stilt, the common martin, and the little egret, which inhabit the park's wetlands, where they find food and shelter. The presence of the Oglio River, home to a rich fish fauna, also favors the proliferation of species such as trout and barbel.

Among mammals, the park is home to numerous wild boars, roe deer, fallow deer, and foxes, which frequent the wooded areas. In some quieter areas of the park, badgers and ferrets can also be spotted. The park is also home to several reptile species, such as the grass snake and the grass snake, as well as numerous insects, including dragonflies and butterflies.

Get inspired

The heart of the park is represented by two nature reserves, rich in biodiversity but very different from each other. The Torbiere di Marcaria Nature Reserve is a natural basin with small ponds, a kingdom dominated by a colony of herons, which have built around a hundred nests in the reeds, poplars, and willows. The Le Bine Nature Reserve, on the other hand, is home to 800 animal species and 300 plant species. Thanks to this natural heritage, an environmental education center and the associated Le Bine educational farm have been established here.

The Marcaria Torbiere Nature Reserve

The Oglio Sud Park can be explored in any season, and the landscape has two distinctive features that make it unique. On one side, agricultural fields bordered by poplars and white willows; on the other, a dense network of waterways with canals, ponds, and banks, at whose foot, during the summer, vast sandy beaches appear. The Torbiere di Marcaria Nature Reserve is a paradise for birdwatchers and nature photographers, attracted by the variety of birds they can observe.

The Torbiere di Macaria Nature Reserve was exploited for peat extraction, used as fuel, from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. But this very origin created the conditions for a small environmental miracle: traversing the Reserve's trails, you come across several small lakes formed by peat extraction, later transformed into habitats teeming with birdlife. 

Le Bine Educational Farm

But the most distinctive part of the entire Oglio Sud Park is the Environmental Education Center, with the Le Bine Educational Farm, which hosts courses for preschoolers through high school. Different courses are planned for each age group, each focusing on different aspects of the ecosystem. Younger children get a close-up look at bees working and producing honey, as well as earthworms, pond animals, and plants. Elementary school students, with expert commentary, examine images from camera traps, which take photos or videos without disturbing the animals—from a hare washing its face to a pair of foxes courting. Middle school students explore the biological characteristics of the land and its diverse features, and learn to read a topographic map and use a compass to avoid getting lost in the woods. Finally, high school students are offered work-study internships, with hands-on activities such as tree planting. 

Who was Guido Santini?

Guido Santini, the man for whom the Le Bine Nature Reserve's Environmental Education Center is named, was a dynamic teacher from Calvatone, in the province of Cremona. It was he who, in the 1970s, discovered the Reserve's natural beauty and engaged the school's students, transforming them into guides of what at the time was merely a natural oasis.

Information

For all information on the activities and routes of the Oglio Sud Park you can write to:

info @ogliosud.it

Or you can consult the website: 

www.ogliosud.it

For the Le Bine Nature Reserve you can write to:

[email protected]

Where to sleep

Within the park, there are several reasonably priced bed and breakfasts, farmhouses, and apartments, including family-friendly options. Here are some of the best:

• Park.it Apartment in Castelfranco D'Oglio
• Bed and Breakfast The house on the river
• Bed and Breakfast At the penthouse
• Bed and Breakfast The Low
• Board The Golden Mosquito
• Farmhouse The Pines
• Quaranta Palace
• Il Campagnino Farmhouse

Where to eat

The quality of the restaurants, simple and well-equipped, is also very high. We particularly recommend:

• tavern Il Ritrovo
• Restaurant Folcieri Palace
• Coffee and Wine Shop The Crack
• Restaurant Old Mill 
• tavern White Cross
• tavern The Court
  
• Ancient inn At the Porticoes

What to buy

The Park, characterized by flat terrain in a strictly agricultural context, offers products such as melons, apples, and pears, from the land, Grana Padano cheese, and cured meats from livestock farms. Located between Cremona and Mantua, it boasts a very flavorful cuisine; pumpkin, with its soft, firm, sweetish flesh, along with mostarda, a fruit-based sauce with a distinct mustard flavor, is a key ingredient in the filling of tortelli mantovani, a quintessential Mantuan dish. The pastry, made of eggs, water, and flour, is filled with a mixture of pumpkin, amaretti biscuits, Grana Padano cheese, nutmeg, and mustard, seasoned simply with melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese, perhaps with a few sage leaves.

In and around Viadana, the land and the skill of its farmers bring sweet and flavorful melons to the table. They are strictly cultivated in the open air and are aptly known as "Melons of Viadana." This delicious fruit is celebrated with a very special festival in July, featuring refined recipes and unusual culinary creations. Here, the Lambrusco wine, known locally as Viadanese by the people of Mantua, is dark and full-bodied and pairs well with salami and cotechino. These are staples on the tables of the locals, making pork the star of the show. Numerous farms in the Marcaria municipality produce honey (acacia, chestnut, eucalyptus, orange, sunflower, lime, and various mixed flower honeys), royal jelly, and pollen. Among dairies and farms, especially in the Foce Oglio area, there is a notable production of aged cheeses (Grana Padano) with DOP quality certification, fresh cheeses, and milk and dairy products. During the months of May and June, in the municipalities of Acquanegra Park, Canneto sull'Oglio, and Isola Dovarese, there is the “Festa del luartis,” hop shoots that grow along the banks of the Oglio River, which can be used to make delicious omelettes.

How to Get There

We recommend entering the Oglio Sud Park through the entrance to the Le Torbiere di Marcaria Nature Reserve. There are three options:

By car:

By car you arrive from the SS 10 (Mantova Cremona), you park in Piazza Umberto I and on foot you enter the Reserve by taking the road in front of the square, located between the porticoes and Via Crispi.

On the train:

By train, Marcaria can be reached from the Mantua – Piadena – Milan FS line, with the station (without a ticket office) just a few hundred meters from the Reserve.

By bus:

By bus, there is a daily service to and from Mantua (APAM)

Photo credits cover image: Lella Rossetti

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