Bracciano-Martignano Regional Natural Park

Established in 1999, the Bracciano-Martignano Regional Natural Park is one of the most recently acquired protected areas by the Lazio Region. It extends for 16,682 hectares on the territory of the municipalities of Bracciano, Trevignano, Anguillara, Rome, Sutri, Manziana, Bassano Romano, Campagnano di Roma, Oriolo Romano and Monterosi, between the provinces of Rome and Viterbo.

The park presents the typical volcanic landscape that extends over much of the hilly area north of the capital and is characterized by hilly reliefs, woods, large lakes and agricultural areas; within the borders there are also two "natural monuments": the Caldara di Manziana and the Pantane and Lagusiello, established respectively in 1988 and 1997, which protect some of the most typical and singular landscape and geological elements of the territory.

The presence of the two lakes of Martignano and in particular Bracciano which is the eighth Italian lake by surface area, is certainly the most significant element of the territory. Together they cover approximately one third of the total area of ​​the protected area. The territory is then made up of 30% woods (47% if we consider the surfaces not covered by lakes), a percentage therefore much above the national average and the Lazio region, while the cultivated fields and mowing meadows are mostly located in the southern and eastern parts (Anguillara, Cesano, Campagnano and Trevignano).

The Park presents a notable environmental variety: on the one hand linked to the richness and variety of the large freshwater ecosystems, on the other to the presence of an almost complete succession of vegetation, which goes from the Mediterranean wood to the beech forest. Although the minimum and maximum altitude is between 163 meters above sea level. (Arrone - Anguillara Sabazia) and 611 m (Monte Rocca Romana - Trevignano-Sutri), thanks to the relatively rainy and humid climate and the fertile volcanic soils, we encounter the entire range of deciduous forests. The presence of lakes and riparian vegetation adds further richness to the variety, determined by the integration between the natural vegetation and the mosaic of cultivated fields.

As regards the fauna, in the area of the lakes there is the winter presence of thousands of aquatic birds, the number of which increased significantly after the extension of the hunting ban to the entire body of water: a 2002 survey in fact revealed the presence of 159 species of birds, of which 72 are certainly nesting in the Park.

Among the most significant aquatic species we find the coot, present in flocks of thousands of specimens, the pochard, a typical diving duck, the wigeon, the great crested grebe, the little grebe and the cormorant. Also worth mentioning is the mute swan, introduced in the past by man and now naturalized in the area, where it builds large nests along the banks of the lake, in the quietest and most sheltered areas. There are also gray herons and egrets, birds of prey such as the black kite, harriers and marsh harriers. Mammals are represented by the species that populate Italian woods - dormouse, marten, porcupine, badger, fox, weasel, hedgehog - and by large animals once introduced for hunting purposes such as the fallow deer, the mouflon and, in ever-increasing numbers, the Central European wild boar. Bats are represented by twelve species, many of which are classified as threatened or vulnerable in Europe. The fish fauna is also present in large numbers: among the most representative species we find the whitefish, the pike, the royal perch, the rudd, the sea roach, the tench, the carp, the eel, the milkfish, the mullet. There are also numerous species of amphibians and reptiles, which include toads, newts, salamanders, toads, frogs, tree frogs, turtles and grass snakes.

Finally, we would like to remind you that in the municipalities of Bracciano, Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano we can admire numerous sites of historical and cultural interest, such as the Orsini Odescalchi Castle, museums with important finds from the Etruscan era and archaeological sites dating back to the Neolithic period.

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