GENTLE WALKS
Gentle Walks
Starting from Madesimo, there are several gentle – but no less spectacular – walks to to do. These scenic routes are ideal when the you don’t have much time or when you have strollers and four-legged friends in tow.
Picnic Areas
On the promenade that runs along the Scalcoggia stream, you will find two designated picnic areas equipped with barbecue grills, tables, and benches.
These picnic areas are free available to everyone, however, users are responsible for the firewood supply and the cleaning afterwards.
Throughout the village, you will find many areas equipped with benches and tables, which are ideal for picnics. We kindly remind visitors to leave these spaces clean after use.
LOCAL FLORA
Fruits, Flowers, and Fungi!
Walking through the woods and trails of Madesimo, one often comes across beautiful spontaneous flora, bushes of delicious blueberries, rasberries, and strawberries, and a variety of colorful sprouting mushrooms.
Before foraging however, it is important to keep in mind some fundamental rules which help preserve nature for the generations and seasons to come.
Mushroom Foraging in Madesimo
In Madesimo, and throughout the province of Sondrio, mushroom picking is allowed every day of the year from sunrise to sunset though exclusively by hand and without the help of specialized tools.
The maximum daily limit is 3 kilograms per person, except in cases where there is a single heavier specimen. The initial cleaning of the mushroom at the point of foraging is mandatory. Furthermore, mushrooms must be carried in rigid containers or baskets that favor the dispersion of spores.
A mycological inspector is available by appointment at the headquarters of the ATS Montagna di Chiavenna: Tel. +39 034367311
Mushroom Foraging in Switzerland
Mushroom foraging in the Canton of Grisons, Switzerland, is permitted every day of week except for a protection period from 1st to 10th inclusive of each month. There is a maximum daily limit of 2 kilograms per person. Collection in groups and collection in protected areas, duly marked, is prohibited.
For information on laws and regulations, please visit Vapko.ch
Blueberries in Madesimo
During the warmer months, blueberry picking is a relaxing and rewarding pastime, even for children. Please keep in mind the following restrictions.
Each person can forage a maximum quantity of one kilogram per day. However, when foraging in groups, the quantity is limited to four kilograms total. Blueberries must be handpicked.
Local Flora
The local flora, found throughout the woods and pastures of Madesimo cannot be picked in large quantities. Each person is limited to 6 specimens per day per species of flower. Note, this provision does not include protected flora, and flowers must be picked without uprooting them.
Medicinal Herbs
There are several herbs present in Madesimo with medicinal properties. These including iva, genepy and arnica herbs. Foraging is allowed with prior authorization, up to a maximum of fifty specimens per person per day.
Authorization can be granted via a form provided by the local government outlining the restrictions and and collection methods. Authorization can be obtained by persons of working age and by indicating the specific plants and the localities where they intend to forage.
Additional Rules
In order to best preserve the woods and pastures that surround us, there are other bans in force in Madesimo and in the entire province of Sondrio.
The turf and the surface layer of land cannot be removed, transported, or traded for commercial use unless absolutely necessary (for example, in the case of authorized construction activities).
It is forbidden to destroy or damage the vegetation that grows in watercourses and banklands subject to periodic submersion. It is also forbidden to set fire to or use herbicidal substances to eliminate vegetation along watercourses, embankments, road margins, separations of agricultural land and on the land below the power lines.
Provincia di Sondrio
Tel. +39 0342 531236
Tel. +39 0342 531273
La Normativa
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- L.R. n.10 del 31/03/08
- DGR 8/7736 del 24/07/08
- L.R. n. 31 del 05/12/08
- DGR 8/11102 del 27/01/10
THE VALCAVA ALPINE GARDEN
The Flora and Panorama
Trails, pastures, woods, and a variety of plants and flowers: the Valcava Alpine Garden in Madesimo offers a full immersion in high altitude nature. During a pleasant walk, visitors will discover the local flora up close, getting to know its secrets and savor its scents.
The Valcava Alpine Garden includes forests, pastures, and uncultivated areas. Indigenous plant species are organized in their natural habitat, their main characteristics are marked and described. From its summit of the garden – about 1,900 meters above sea level – bask in a spectacular 360 degree view of the peaks of the Spluga Valley.
Fun Facts
Inside the Valcava Alpine Garden there are several trails that run throughout the area, crossing the ten environments that characterize the local biodiversity. Everything is illustrated through explanatory posters and there are over fifty placards that indicate the plants and flowers present.
Most enviornments of the Valcava Alpine Garden are deliberately left in their natural state while some are landscaped. Four plots of medicinal plants have also been created: these include genepy, arnica, edelweiss, and two of varieties of potatoes on the brink of extinction. One of these, the Starleggia Potatoe, is included on the list of Lombardy’s traditional agri-food products.
Getting There
Located on top of the eponymous valley, the Valcava Alpine Garden is a pleasant destination that can be easily reached on foot from the center of Madesimo.
You can get there by following the promenade along the Scalcoggia stream or arriving by car to the Andossi hamlet.
The best time to visit is from May, when the flowers are in bloom, to September, when the mountain offers the last flowers and presents itself with the most intense lights and colors of the year.
Informational video on the garden:
For more information, please visit: Giardino-Alpino-Valcava.it
