Enjoy your training in Cremona

A path to fully understand the life of the river, which from a natural element becomes strength at the service of man.

In the early phases of the Cretaceous age, about 130 million years ago, the Tethys ocean began to disappear and the collision of two continents (Paleo-Europe and Paleo-Africa), in a continuous and still ongoing process, led to the formation of the Alps.  The current geological features of Valmalenco, thanks to the complex relationships between its most typical rocks (serpentinite and associated rocks), is a testimony to the "fossil" remains of the continental margin (Paleo-Africa) and the ocean (Western Tethys).  The first miners who inhabited Valmalenco during the Iron age did not know the origin of the widespread serpentinite, but they learned how to recognize iron and copper mineralizations and to extract metals through simple fusion processes. The first miners during the Middle ages - and probably even during the Roman age - learned how to extract and work soapstone to make pots and slabs for roof coverings.  The complex geological history of Valmalenco and the wide range of surfacing rocks corresponds to a rich and expectional presence of minerals of great economical, scientific and collectible interest: demantoid, quartz, perovskite, artinite, brugnatellite are only some of the most famous minerals.  Several studies, mineralogists and aficionados helped, also with the discovery of new minerals, making Valmalenco famous in this field. Besides countless scientific studies and publications, there are important collections dedicated to the minerals of Valmalenco.Part of the huge mineralogic collection belonging to the famous Milanese academic Pietro Sigismund (1874-1962), is now in the Museo Storico, Etnografico e Naturalistico della Valmalenco (Historical, ethnographic and naturalistic museum of Valmalenco). Here it is possible to admire, in a collection of great historical value, 180 rocks found by the researcher in Valmalenco.  At the Centro servizi in Chiesa in Valmalenco has been set up the exhibition "Geology and mineral resources of Valmalenco".  Professor Fulvio Grazioli (1913-1991) - famous for his talent as a mineral researcher and the great effort dedicated to this passion - managed to put together the richiest and most complete collections of minerals of Valmalenco (almost 12.000 samples that he found during his researches in the Province of Sondrio. The most relevant minerals of Grazioli's collection are exposed at the Martinengo Palace in Sondrio. 

An incredible bald cypress is a real gem in the Indro Montanelli Gardens, the most interesting park in Milan in terms of trees.

Beautiful trees surround the romantic pond in Parco Sempione. A monumental Caucasian walnut is the most astonishing of these.

An excellent Ginkgo biloba, a legendary tree from the Far East, embellishes the heart of Gorgonzola.

The waterways of Lombardy are perfect to discover the unspoilt green heart of the region

With its large foliage, incredibly sinuous branches and scenic location, the cedar of Villa Olmo is the most famous tree in Como.

One of the most relevant and strategic advanced projects for contemporary Luino, redefining the relationship between the city and the lake. The idea of the "lakeside park" project was to transform a car park on the lake into a verdant public garden on the shore of Lake Maggiore. The pedestrian promenade is the guiding thread of a homogeneous route capable of giving continuity and linking the park to the lake with different poles through the use of continuous and uniform paving, lighting fixtures, colour and distinctive street furniture. The lawn is a modelled surface, an undulating plane like the lake, which becomes the connecting fabric of the various 'green narratives' that design the park and a space for rest and relaxation. The lakeside park appeals to a wide range of users, from different age groups, in particular to children, for which games have been placed on anti-trauma flooring, along a path that encompasses the entire intervention area. Different types of luminaires were also used to accommodate the different architectural conditions through low energy lamps such as LED and fluorescent lamps. The project of this waterfront recovers the link with water through a sustainable and intelligent use of water resources, consistent with the overall image of the urban landscape. Water as an ecosystem becames fundamental element of the mutant landscape entrusted to a miscellany of crops for educational purposes and direct experimentation for young users. In concrete terms, therefore, water features consisting of flush fountains and systems integrated into the vegetation are used. The wide steps that design the discent to the lake are organised in such a way as to become now simple curbs that design the turf, now wide seats and horizontal paths that cross the park. Reclaiming this piece of the city, previously a 'non-place' - in that it was not lived in, except by cars - has meant the transformation of this area on the fringes of the urban context and life in Luino, to translate it into a valuable opportunity for tourist and recreational development.