The Val di Vara, covering an area of 575 km² and with 30,275 inhabitants, is the largest territory in the province of La Spezia and at the same time the least populated. An area characterised by a naturalistic ensemble where the Mediterranean scrub land alternates with woods, meadows and pastures offers landscape views of unquestionable beauty. Known as the Organic Valley, due to the widespread use of organic farming, the Val di Vara is an extremely interesting area thanks to the presence of several medicinal plants, 143 species, equal to 28% of those used in human medicine.
Flora
FloraThe Val di Vara is the land of biodiversity: while black poplar and common alder prevail on the banks of the Vara River, in the undergrowth we find elder, dogwood and common hawthorn along with black locust and berries.
The hills are interspersed with vineyards and olive groves and the forests are dominated by beech (Fagus sylvatica) and chestnut (Castanea sativa) as well as oak and downy oak. Extensive coniferous forests also abound in which maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) forests, often planted by man, stand out. Grasses grow in the pastures, concentrated between the municipalities of Maissana, Varese Ligure, Sesta Godano and Zignago, and represent important species for hay production.
The Monte Gottero area, which covers a thousand hectares on the slopes of the highest mountain in the province of La Spezia, is known to be one of the most interesting Ligurian valleys for mushroom hunters. Several varieties of boletus (porcini), ovules and chanterelles grow here, the harvesting of which is managed by the Alto Vara Consortium.
CHESTNUT
The chestnut, one of the most widespread trees in the forests of the Val di Vara, can grow up to thirty metres in height. While in the past it represented an important food resource, especially for the production of chestnut flour, today the chestnut tree has undergone a drastic economic downsizing. The product, which is considered a niche product, is used in the food and confectionery industry and the wood is used to make furniture and support poles. In Val di Vara, the Associazione Castanicoltori del Levante Ligure was created to promote the culture and protection of the chestnut tree. At Carro, in the Bosco Sepponi, an old drying kiln has been recovered, the last one still in use in the Val di Vara, built in 1821 and used today for educational purposes.
CERRO
The turkey oak (Quercus cerris) is a deciduous tree belonging to the Fagaceae family. With a trunk with grey-brownish bark and deep reddish furrows, it develops a dense foliage with morphologically heterogeneous, obovate-oblong leaves. The turkey oak, between April and May, offers monoecious flowers while its fruits are acorns, about 2-3 cm in size, known for their characteristic light yellow cap. Often seen in the Apennines, it is a tree that gathers in extensive groves (hence the name of the hamlet of Carro Cerreta) usually at the foot of mountain ranges as it is not suited to harsh climates.
MARITIME PINE
A true which does not live for many years, it reaches an average of 25-30 metres in height with a straight trunk over a metre in diameter. A widely used species in forestry operations, it has acclimatised to a much wider range than the original pine, which explains its presence in the Val di Vara. Maritime pine forests grow in abandoned or fire-prone chestnut and oak groves, with optimal living conditions at around 800 metres. The wood, which is resinous, is used for shipbuilding in carpentry. The Suvero pine forest, an important natural heritage site in the municipalities of Suvero and Veppo, is the result of reforestation in the 1930s in an arid and rocky area with specimens of Black Pine imported from Austria.
BEECH
Together with the chestnut tree, the beech is one of the most widespread species in the Val di Vara and forms entire forests called beech forests. A tree known for its rapid growth, it can reach heights of 30-35 metres in some cases. In fact, beech is often found in lists of 'green patriarchs', monumental trees that reach exceptional age and size. Considered a valuable plant, the beech tree is usually cultivated as a coppice. In order to obtain firewood and charcoal, the trees are grown to medium height and cut down periodically, leaving the trunks razed to the ground. If, on the other hand, the beech forests are managed as a forest, the trees are allowed to grow to a great height and then cut down. The wood is used to make furniture, parquet strips, oars and shipbuilding, as well as a type of fine paper.
CLICK AND BROWSE
CLICK AND BROWSE
Fauna
FaunaThe Val di Vara is also characterised by biodiversity in animal species. In the river Vara we find fish belonging to native species such as stickleback, eel and brown trout. The ponds and riverbeds are home to a variety of amphibians and reptiles, including some rarities such as the yellow ulolone and the wall lizard, which are quite rare in Liguria.
The forests are inhabited by wild boar, wolves, roe deer, foxes, hares, beech martens, weasels, porcupines and badgers, as well as insectivorous mammals such as hedgehogs and moles, and rodents such as squirrels, dormice and dormice.
In summer, the area is an important migratory route for water-bound birds. In the reed beds and on riverbanks, river nightingales, egrets and a large population of grey herons can be found. At night, the skies and forests of the Val di Vara are animated by numerous species of nocturnal birds of prey such as the tawny owl, little owl, scops owl and barn owl.
WOLF
The wolf, Canis lupus, is a very adaptable, fast and hardy animal that can travel more than 50 km in one night. It lives for about 15 years in small, territorial herds, characterised by a hierarchical social structure with a dominant male and female. The wolf, together with the group, hunts roe deer, deer, chamois, wild boar and elk, as well as small mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, fruit and carrion. By hunting what can most easily be preyed upon, predominantly sick and weak specimens, the wolf helps to keep the game population healthy.
CAPRIOL
The Capreolus capreolus, is characterised above all by its antlers, i.e. the horns on the top of its head, with 3 points on each side, which are lost and regrow every year. The roe deer can reach an age of 18 years and is the smallest European deer. The roe deer is a grazing ruminant: it selects plants particularly rich in nutrition, such as buds, flowers and fruit. The predilection of roe deer for various oak and maple species and for silver fir can directly influence the structure and development of forests. Resistant or seldom nibbled on by animals, species such as beech or spruce take advantage of this and spread more widely.
WILD BOAR
One of the inhabitants of the Carro forests is undoubtedly the common boar (Sus scrofa), an artiodactylous and omnivorous mammal of the suidae family. Although it is native to Eurasia and North Africa, the wild boar has for centuries been one of the most common animals in our forests where, thanks to its resistance and adaptability, it can be found in habitats that differ greatly in type and temperature. A coveted prey for its meat, it is the basis of several traditional local dishes. Of the various species, those that mainly inhabit the woods, and especially the oak forests, the boar of this area can reach weights of between 100 and 200 kg. The boar's diet, also due to its mixed dentition, can vary from plant material such as acorns, fruits, berries, tubers, roots and mushrooms to animal material such as insects, invertebrates, eggs, meat or fish.
FOX
The vulpes vulpes, although belonging to the order of carnivores and in particular to the canid family, can live up to 4 years and is omnivorous. This characteristic allows it to vary its diet according to what is available at the time and is the basis of its proverbial adaptability to many different environments. Smell and hearing are the main means of exploring the territory, but sight is also discreet. The den, which is preferably built in forests on soft ground on sunny slopes, is often equipped with several emergency exits and is similar to that of the badger, so much so that sometimes the two species can even cohabit.
YELLOW ULULON
In the municipality of Carro there are three of the fifteen Sites of Community Importance (SCI) of the Natura 2000 Network recognised in Val di Vara. Of particular interest is a small, endangered amphibian living in the Rio di Agnola: the yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata pachypus). The belly of this amphibian, an inhabitant of ponds, water holes and underground burrows in winter, is characterised by a typical yellow colouring with numerous grey-blue spots.
Minerals
MineralsAlthough the Val di Vara is rich in minerals, it does not possess enough of them to be economically profitable.
In Lagorara, in the municipality of Maissana, a quarry was active between 3500 and 2000 B.C.; using tools called ‘percussors’, large blocks of jasper were detached from the walls.
In Val di Vara, there are essentially deposits of manganese, copper, heel and chromite. At Cerchiara, in the locality of Faggiona in the lower Val di Vara between Pignone and Borghetto Vara, there is the only deposit around which an important manganese mining activity developed for about 160 years, between 1790 and 1947, when the mine was closed.
At Agnola, near Carro, a few kilometres from the Valico della Mola that separates the Val Petronio from the Val di Vara, brucite was found in such quantities that mining was possible from 1948 to 1960.
JASPER
Jasper is a rock formed from a single mineral composed of quartz and often containing some impurities, usually iron compounds that give the rock vibrant colours, making it sought after as a semi-precious stone for processing in factories.
MANGANESE
It is a white-grey metal with an iron-like appearance. Due to its fragility, manganese is not used in its pure state but is present in alloys with other elements. It is used in the steel and paint industries to prepare pharmaceuticals and fertilisers. The Egyptians and Romans used manganese compounds in the manufacture of glass, to discolour it.
BRUCITE
Brucite is a colourless or whitish mineral with a mother-of-pearl lustre and can be often be found together with various magnesium carbonates. It is used to obtain magnesium salts, and in the manufacture of refractory materials, and for the production of magnesium sulphate.
ARAGONITE
A polymorph of calcite, aragonite owes its name to the origin of its first specimens (Molina de Aragon in Spain). With a generally prismatic and vertical crystalline habit, the crystals can also be in different formations (acicular, fasciculate, radial, fibrous, stalactitic, pisolithic). In chromatic terms, aragonite can vary from white to brown, pink, up to yellow, blue and green.
BOSCHI SONORI
BOSCHI SONORI
Carro, where the forests stretch as far as the eye can see, nature witnesses and becomes protagonist through the BOSCHI SONORI portal.
Dive into Carro’s rich heritage with our interactive map, showcasing the area’s stunning floral and faunal diversity alongside its intangible cultural wealth.
Experience the captivating history and beauty of Carro through the carefully curated tourist and cultural routes. Learn about the prestigious Environmental Art Award and the stories that make this municipality unique.
