IN CANAVESE, NATURE ALWAYS TAKES CENTER STAGE
In Canavese, nature has always been at the center, and over the centuries, the inhabitants could only follow its lead, using its resources without suffocating it: thus mountains and watercourses, towns and industries, hills and cities, lake basins and plains coexist together.
No matter from which direction you arrive, from April to October, there is only one color that will capture your eyes and your heart: Green!
The green meadows, the green hills, the green vineyards, the green forests of the mountains. The second color is blue, in all its shades: from the light blue of the sky to the dark blue of the lakes.
Our advice is to explore Canavese’s many, exstensive protected areas: every corner will hold a surprise.
We must start with the Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso, the first national park of Italy, whose southern side is entirely in Canavese territory. It’s a hiker’s paradise, with kilometers of trails that follow the Royal Hunting paths of Vittorio Emmanuele II. Here, ibexes, chamois, marmots, and golden eagles live freely, easily spotted and photographed with the help of Park Rangers and the many authorized hiking guides.
Nature and humans have entered in symbiosis, to the extent that even the exploitation of resources for hydroelectric power has created new scenic views, new ecosystems, now universally recognized, like the view of Agnel and Serrù lakes from the Nivolet Pass. And then there are waterfalls, rugged rock faces, small hamlets, in addition to inhabited centers, destinations for sustainable tourism like Ceresole Reale, Noasca, Locana, Ronco, Valprato, and Ingria, which has recently joined the club of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.
If we move downstream, the landscapes change and it’s the lakes that offer precious natural spectacles.
The Parco Naturale del Lago di Candia, protected since 1985, encompasses the glacial-origin lake basin and the surrounding coastal strips. It’s on the route of migratory birds, so much so that a ringing station studies their movements. It’s a delicate ecosystem, with very slow water renewal. It offers stunning views especially at dusk, with a range of colors worthy of a painter’s palette, which you can enjoy from the electric boat operated by biologists from the “Vivere i Parchi” association who also offer various environmental education activities in equipped labs.
The area of the 5 Laghi di Ivrea is another natural treasure to be discovered. It’s a unique geological area because it is here that the Insubric line is located, that is, the collision point between the European and African tectonic plates, where rocks normally found at great depths come to the surface, and lake basins are created by glacial erosion: Lake Sirio, ideal for swimming, reaching depths of up to 45 meters; Lake Pistono, dominated by a magnificent castle and characterized by the “Terre Ballerine”; Lake San Michele, Lake Nero, and Lake Campagna, all rich in flora, fauna, and trails accessible to anyone.
Lago di Viverone, which marks the eastern boundary of Canavese, is the largest lake basin left by the Bal- teo glacier: when its waters are stirred by the wind co- ming from the Aosta Valley, it feels like being on a stor- my sea! From the hills surrounding it, one may enjoy ever-changing views and its navigation offers glimpses of wild nature, views of vineyards, and stilt-built archa- eological sites.
And then there are smaller but equally picturesque lake basins, like Meugliano and Alice, recognized as Sites of Community Interest (SIC).
Other hilly and foothill areas offer further opportunities to enjoy protected areas. In north-western Canavese, there’s the Riserva Naturale dei Monti Pelati and the Riserva Naturale Speciale del Sacro Monte di Belmonte, and further south, the Riserva Naturale della Vauda, characterized by a uniqueness found nowhere else. Sites of high historical value, for the settlements whose remains have been found, host landscapes that are at times almost “lunar” and desert-like, rocky, at times similar to the Vercelli baraggia, with an alternation of wet areas and heathland, where even the flora and fauna have had to adapt for survival in hostile environments.
And since Canavese is rich in water (which is why it’s so green!), why not discover the other rivers and streams that cross it? Besides the Po, the most significant watercourse is the Dora Baltea, with its cerulean (grey-blue) waters, the only Italian river with a nivo-glacial regime. The best observation points, although not very naturalistic, are the bridges that cross it in the center of Ivrea: even though it may seem impossible today, the river was an important river port of the Roman empire.
Then there are the streams: the Orco, coming from the valley that brings it’s name, which evokes all the power and the fierceness of when it is in flood (but for the people of Canavese it is “l’Eva d’Or”, or the golden water, as flakes of the precious metal even today are brought downstream; the Soana, which is a tributary of the first; the Chiusella, also a symbol of an entire valley, wild and mysterious, crossed in the first part of its course by beautiful stone humpback bridges, animated by generous leaps that create scenic waterfalls and then, further downstream, beautiful natural pools with crystal clear waters; the Malone, which crosses the most southern part of Canavese.
