| The valleys of Gandosso and of Foresto Sparso, the plain of Villongo | |
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The western sector of the Mountain Community, constituted by the common territories of Gandosso and Foresto Sparso, together with several elements of naturalistic interest, also includes marks of man which are even more numerous, also because of its being collocated in the border zone between the plain, which has an elevated human pressure, and the first pre-alpine elevations, which have borne its contact and impact. At the two basins entrance, the fertile plain of Villongo lies on old quaternary river-glacial sediments. The front of the glacial ablation tongue coming from the lake has left in this place three evident morainic chains: the one which is most western has obstructed the Valley of Gandosso in proximity of Roncaglia, causing the formation of a lake basin in the resort called Celatica Tolari; the second chain has been deposited at the top of Credaro, by forming an elevation which has clearly conditioned its town planning structure; the third one, licked by the Guerna stream before its entering the Oglio River, is the eastern boundary line of the plain of Villongo. |
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This last chain, which also comprises “Castel Merlo” (Blackbird Castle) with its vineyards, guides us along the way which leads into the valleys of Adrara and Viadanica. “San Giovanni delle Formiche” (St Giovanni of the Ants) is a panoramic culmination at the middle of the two valleys of Gandosso and Foresto Sparso; it deserves to be visited because the two ridges of the slopes which contain the two basins, which are practicable on foot, meet and join in this place. Next to the sanctuary, the top gives hospitality to a huge oak, which is certainly the most long-lived tree of the whole territory, and also to a majestic beech. |
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The structure of these hills is made of sandstones and conglomerates, that are sedimentary rocks originated by the sediments that the rivers used to gather from the relieves of the newborn alpine chain, just emerged from the sea waters. The layers disposition, which can be observed not far from some natural or artificial escarpment, is the local expression of a wider series of curling and ruffling movements, which keep on working southwards under the sediments of the “pianura padana” (Po Valley). In the past these rocks were used in different ways, but an interesting exploitation used to occur in the resort called Fontanelli, in the town of Gandosso, where the Sirone conglomerate (first Cretaceous Age) was used to build the grindstone wheels, the so-called “molere”. There is another geologic phenomenon of particular interest: in the town of Foresto Sparso, there are sediments made of travertine of the “Valle del Tuf” (Tuf Valley), risen by the surrounding spring waters. You can meet this rock, which has been completely dismantled by the cultivation of a quarry in the lowest part of the sediment, towards the valley head in the rich series of cell-like shapes and little caves. The woods which mantle the hills are prevalently chestnut groves with a plentiful presence of false acacia in other areas; on the sunny sides there are thermopile woods and brushes with little durmast, black hornbeam and manna-ash; the mesophyle woods, with durmast, ash tree and mountain maple, occupy the northern sides by melting with the damper woods of the “impluvi” which, on their side, on the valley floor fade into the riparian woods with white willow, black alder and poplar tree. The terraced slopes give the landscape a characteristic mark but the beautiful autumnal colours and the vineyards shapes, which used to be extremely diffused, are a simple recollection. Different fruit trees and, where possible, olive trees haven taken their place. The mowed meadowlands, which are witnesses as well of a rural economy which has definitely set, are the most typical view that our hilly landscapes are able to offer. They are above all diffused on the valley floor or inserted in the middle slopes of the relieves; their most common grass are the very high oats together with the yellow colour of the buttercups and of the dandelions, the blue colour of the cornflowers and of the sage of the meadows, the white colour of the catchfly, of the cheese-rennet and of various umbelliferous plants, the pale rose colour of the thousand-leaf and the red colour of the clover. |
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These are colours that we can catch also during the spring season in all the undergrowths that are not monotonous chestnut coppices: winter little bell flower, dog’s-teeth, scillas, primroses, liverworts and anemones are some of the wonderful flowers which can be found in our hilly woods. The fertile plains, even if they aren’t very wide, have always been dominated by the agriculture which today has been turned into a flourishing nursery gardening, contesting the ground with the industrial growth. Notwithstanding several town planning changes, in our territory we can still clearly read as on a watermark the rural imprint made of farmsteads, farm roads, hedges and ditches with rows of mulberry trees. |
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This fact reminds us that the link with the past is still present and that to give a deep meaning to our life helps us to face modernity with an attitude of awareness of the value of our cultural and environmental roots. |
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