SUMMER 2020 BOTANICAL GARDENS AND NATURALISTIC AREAS OF VENETO AGRICULTURE OPEN

This could be the hashtag that accompanies the Veneto's summer days and 2020 holidays. The post-Covid-19 period, with its limits and prohibitions, means that many people decide to stay in the area, also because in our Region there are plenty of extraordinarily beautiful and interesting places to visit. From the mountains to the sea to the lakes, planning a trip, to be done on a day, thus becomes only a matter of "spoiled for choice". It is within this framework that the summer openings of the botanical gardens and naturalistic areas managed by Veneto Agriculture are inserted.

Throughout the summer they will be open to the public, in different days / times, with a proposal for an interesting book of initiatives, the Astego Vegetation Garden in Pieve del Grappa (TV), the "Lorenzoni" Alpine Botanical Garden and the Museum of 'Uomo in Cansiglio (Bl), the ValleVecchia area in Caorle (Ve), the Bosco Nordio integral nature reserve in Sant'Anna di Chioggia (Ve), the Botanical Garden of the Euganean Hills - Casa Marina in Galzignano Terme (Pd) and the Coastal Botanical Garden of Porto Caleri in Rosolina (Ro). An in-depth analysis of RadioVenetoAgricoltura (https://youtu.be/qXd18K8v1FU) is available on these openings on the YouTube channel of the Regional Agency. Let's see, in summary, what are the main naturalistic and cultural "offers" that visitors can meet in these extraordinary sites.

The Astego Vegetation Garden (via Val de Roa, Pieve del Grappa-Tv) ensures visitors the opportunity to live, in an environment of absolute naturalistic value, a unique experience of its kind. The site presents the succession of different habitats that meet from the peaks of the Prealps to the plain below. Located at 450 meters high, the Garden is structured on 16 steps, corresponding precisely to as many ecosystems present from the top of Monte Grappa to the plain. Along the way you meet the typical flora of these places, including some rare wild orchids, a mountain stream rebuilt ad hoc and a "roccolo" for birds. Another section of the Garden groups the plants by family and by use (beekeeping, edible, aromatic, etc.), while the part below is dedicated to mushrooms. There is also a labyrinth and various games (also sensory) for the enjoyment not only of children. The Garden is open on Sunday from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 18:00. Admission is free.

The Alpine Botanical Garden "Lorenzoni" (Pian del Cansiglio, Tambre-Bl) hardly needs to be presented as it is one of the "historical" Gardens of the Veneto. With its two hectares dedicated to the alpine flora of the Cansiglio - Col Nudo - Cavallo mountain range, it presents a series of very different habitats, including the alpine environments (firmeto, seslerieto, mughete), the vegetation of the humid places (mill, peat bogs), the main forest formations (beech, spruce and white fir), medicinal mountain plants and plants from arid alpine environments. The Garden is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 5 pm, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10 am to 12.30 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm : 00. Guided tours are included, included in the ticket price, every Sunday at 15.00; in August also on Saturday at the same time and on Sunday also at 10.30. Furthermore, interesting themed insights (botany, herbal medicine, meteorology, etc.) are scheduled on Sunday afternoon at the end of the guided tour. Activities immersed in nature, such as "Yoga in the Garden" are scheduled on the morning of Saturday 8 and 22 August. Finally, the “Musical September” initiative, scheduled on the first three Sundays of September at 4:00 pm, should be remembered, with interesting classical music concerts scheduled. Entrance ticket: 3 euros full (adults), 1 euro reduced (young people 14-18 years, group of children up to 14 years accompanied), 2 euros reduced adult group (group with more than 10 people); free entry for children under the age of 14 and the disabled and accompanying person.

MUC-Museum of Man in Cansiglio (Pian Osteria, Tambre-Bl). The Regional Museum of Man in Cansiglio "Anna Vieceli" and Ethnographic Center of Cimbrian culture collects documents and testimonies of the presence of man in Cansiglio and its relationship with the Plateau, starting with Prehistory. The structure can be visited on Thursday and Friday from 14:00 to 18:00; on Saturdays and Sundays and on holidays from 10.00 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 18.00.

Other initiatives in Cansiglio . Sunday, July 26, two guided excursions are planned: the first at 9:30 am (meeting at the MUC in Pian Osteria) provides for an easy walk that winds between Cornesega and Valmenera to discover plants and wild animals; it will last the whole day and for this there is a packed lunch; cost 15 euros for adults, 8 euros for kids (12-18 years) and free under 12 years. Information and registration at Prealpi Cansiglio Hiking snc: 370 1107202 or prealpicansiglio@gmail.com . At the end of the excursion it is possible to visit the MUC. A second excursion, including a visit to the Museum and the Cimbri villages, will take place from 2.00 pm with meeting of the participants in the Museum of Man in Cansiglio. Also worthy of mention is the "Festa dei Cimbri" scheduled for the first Sunday of August and the "treasure hunt" for children scheduled for 8 and 22 August at 15.30. Visits to the Cimbri villages are planned on Sundays from late July to late August with a final guided tour of the MUC.

The 2020 novelty in ValleVecchia (Località Brussa, Caorle-Ve), the extraordinary "island" located along the Adriatic coast between Caorle and Bibione, is given by the connection by boat, with the possibility of cycling in tow, from Bibione. Free daily connections are possible until September 20 from 9.30 to 13.30 and from 14.30 to 18.30. The first ride from Bibione is scheduled at 9.30; the last one from Vallevecchia at 17.50. Reservations are required at Laguna Fla Group tel./whatsapp 347 9922959. For visitors, there is no lack of opportunities in ValleVecchia: the island, which can also be reached by car (a large parking lot just behind the beach is in operation) extends for about 900 hectares and is delimited on four sides by marine, lagoon and river waters, which contribute to creating ecosystems of considerable ecological interest. An ideal refuge for those who love nature (possibility of birdwatching), long walks, sun and sea baths on the long sandy beach. ValleVecchia is also (and above all) a pilot and demonstration company of Veneto Agricoltura where experimental activities are carried out to combine agriculture and sustainable development (those interested in these issues will be able to follow the next 30 July at 10:00 on the ZOOM platform the "Open Day in ValleVecchia" during which the results of the numerous ongoing projects will be presented (registration on: https://vallevecchia2020.eventbrite.it).

The "Bosco Nordio" integral nature reserve (along the SS Romea in Sant'Anna di Chioggia-Ve) represents an important area of great naturalistic value due to the presence of interesting environments such as the holm oak forest, the clearings, the ponds, the dunes and rare species of animals and plants, above all the gloomy pelobate toad and the pyramidal orchid. The reserve is open on Wednesdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00. The program of the "Naturalistic Days" on the calendar during the summer is very interesting (full entrance ticket 3 euro, reduced 1 euro; information and reservations 3452518596): on Wednesday 29 July and 26 August the event "Falling in love with some dunes will take place" "; Wednesday 5 August "The masterpieces of the woods"; Wednesday 19 August "Relax in nature"; Sunday 24 August "Bosco in note". Every Wednesday at 10:30 am the event "The ancient forest of the beaches" is scheduled (€ 6 full, € 3 reduced including admission).

The Botanical Garden of the Euganean Hills - Casa Marina (Galzignano Terme-Pd) represents another precious pearl of our Veneto, even more now that it has been enriched with an interesting attraction consisting of the "Path of the Planets", an educational-naturalistic path created by the Euganean Hills Park with the collaboration of the Euganean Astronomical Association and Veneto Agriculture. The "Path of the Planets", just inaugurated, financed by the Veneto Region, constitutes a further enrichment of the already rich didactic proposal offered to visitors by Casa Marina. The route, which as is easily understood from the name, is dedicated to the planets of our solar system, was created by the workers of Veneto Agricoltura according to a project provided by the Park. Visitors can follow it following the educational signs placed on the ground at proportional distances that respect the distances that the planets have from the sun, thus making the structure of our solar system perceptible through direct experience. Casa Marina is also home to the Naturalistic and Didactic Education Center of the Euganean Hills Regional Park. Various hiking trails start from here and inside the Center you can find the information material necessary to discover the beauties of the area, starting from the beautiful Botanical Garden in which there are over 1,400 plant species characteristic of the Euganean area. The garden is free to use and is always open.

The Porto Boteri Coastal Botanical Garden (Rosolina-Ro) to better welcome visitors and make the area more usable, has recently been equipped with a new pedestrian walkway that allows easy crossing of the sandbank in the south-east area. The work, carried out by Veneto Agricoltura on the basis of a project drawn up by the Region, is of considerable importance both for the protection of the plant species that inhabit the sandbank, and for the reduction of the walking surface used by visitors. During the summer the structure is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 16.00 to 19.00. Guided tours are also provided (booking: 347 0452236 - 329 4248555) at 10.30, 15.30 and 16.30 which can be carried out along three different paths: a short one, which particularly affects the pine forest; an intermediate one, which includes all rooms except the brackish water wetland; a longer one, which also includes the latter.