{"id":4483,"date":"2024-12-17T16:51:07","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T16:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitvigoleno.it\/parco-regionale-dello-stirone-e-del-piacenziano\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T14:29:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T14:29:33","slug":"stirone-e-del-piacenziano-regional-park","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.visitvigoleno.it\/en\/stirone-e-del-piacenziano-regional-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Stirone e del Piacenziano Regional Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Stirone<\/span> e del Piacenziano<\/span> Regional Park<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A journey through fossils and millennial landscapes <\/span><\/h3>

Parco Stirone<\/strong> stretches along the valley of the stream bearing the same name for about 14 km. Since the 1950s, mining activities for the construction of the Autostrada del Sole motorway have intensified erosion in the area, revealing fossil-rich geological strata<\/b>.<\/p>

The term “Piacenzian”<\/b> refers to blue clays dating back to the Pliocene, a geological era between 5.3 and 1.8 million years ago<\/strong>. At that time, lands that emerged today like those around Piacenza were seabeds, inhabited even by whales. The park protects nine areas, or ‘stations’, distributed among various valleys and municipalities in the Piacenza area, each with its own geological and landscape peculiarities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Stirone area: nature and history in balance<\/span><\/h3>

The hilly landscape of the Stirone Park is dotted with historical buildings, including tower houses, farmsteads and churches, while the River Stirone has carved canyons from clay stratifications dating back to the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods<\/strong>. Here, fossilised molluscs and crustaceans emerge from the rocks, evidence of ancient geological eras. The area offers life trails and rest stops for visitors, with recommended accesses from San Genesio<\/strong> (in the province of Piacenza) and San Nicomede (in the province of Parma).<\/p>

Cliffs and gullies<\/strong> form the backdrop to the medieval villages of Castell’Arquato, Vigolo Marchese and Vigoleno, while the Chiavenna Valley and its vineyards<\/strong> offer another view of the landscape. Places of cultural interest include the oratory of San Genesio<\/a> (Vernasca), founded in the year one thousand, and the mysterious ophiolite at Pietra Nera, in the Parma area.<\/p>

For those wishing to learn more about the geological history of the area, the\u00a0Geological Museum of Castell’Arquato<\/a>\u00a0offers a rich collection of fossils, including unique finds such as a fin whale skull.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Piacenza area and gullies: a landscape sculpted by water <\/span><\/h3>

The Piacenziano reserve is famous for its extraordinary palaeontological wealth, thanks to the abundance of fossils dating back to the Tertiary and Quaternary eras<\/b>. But what fascinates visitors most is the landscape, shaped by the gullies<\/b>, deep furrows that cut through the clay rocks, forming evocative scenery.<\/p>

One of the most spectacular areas is Monte La Ciocca<\/b> (station 9), where the gullies clearly reveal the transition from grey-blue clays to yellow-ochre sands. This change reflects the retreat of the sea that occurred during the Pliocene era, transforming the deep seabed into sandy beaches.<\/p>

During spring, the landscape is coloured by the blossoming of buttercups, crocuses and orchids. But it is the bright yellow patches of broom that lights up the slopes at the end of May.<\/p>

In 1986, the skull of a baleen whale<\/b> was found at the Rio Carbonaro station<\/b> (station 3), which is now on display at the Geological Museum of Castell’Arquato. The spectacular Voragine di Montezago (station 4), known as Buca della Balena<\/b>, a canyon deeply cut into the Pliocene clays, is also worth visiting. No less impressive is the gully amphitheatre of Monte Giogo<\/b> (station 7), which dominates the village of Lugagnano with its jagged ridges. A panoramic path connects this area to the Padova and Falcone Mountains<\/b> (station 8), characterised by high ridges and deep furrows.<\/p>

For an unforgettable experience, we recommend the walk among the vineyards and shell walls of Rio Stramonte<\/b> (station 5), an immersion into the geological history of the Piacenza region.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Discover Vernasca and its surrounding area<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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BROWSE PHOTO GALLERY:<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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