- Parks
- Active & Green
- Cycle Tourism
Park of Tenuta La Quassa and the Ispra Kilns
Between the Municipalities of Ranco and Ispra, there is a vast green area, ideal for cycling. It is close to the lake and very interesting from both a naturalistic and historical point of view. Today, the area is known as the Park of the Gulf of La Quassa.
This bay is one of the few stretches of the lake where the highways and railways are considerably far from the banks. As a result, the vast natural area is sparsely populated. A large glacial erratic called Sass Cavalàsc by the locals rises out of the water near a lovely beach in the territory of Ranco. The area is populated by interesting fauna, and was also the scene of a bloody battle in the 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, power struggles marked the beginning of the Visconti lordship over the whole territory, and Angera and its fortress were two of the main strategic points. The park of La Quassa also includes a lovely lakefront trail at Ispra, partially accessible by bicycle, and a vast natural area also in this town.
North of the village, visitors can still admire the old kilns, today monuments of industrial archaeology, which were used until the middle of the last century to produce lime extracted from nearby quarries, now abandoned. Almost all of the kilns can be reached by bicycle on short, winding trails located far from vehicle traffic.