The Park, situated in the eastern section of the Province of Trento, is characterized by three different geographical and landscape units. The northern section is covered by the Forest of Paneveggio, 2.700 hectares of pecceta safeguarded since a long time. The south-eastern section includes part of the Dolomitic chain of the Pale di San Martino. The western section is represented by a part of the porphyritic chain of the Lagorai.
There are many different natural environments: from the rocky slopes and the rubble areas to the grasslands and the Alpine pastures, from impetuous streams to calm stretches of water, from fir woods to mixed deciduous trees, from glaciers to peat bogs.
Guided excursions, activities, environmental education proposals are at deposal for visitors who want to spend a holiday completely immersed in nature.
The Ethnographic Trail of Vanoi is a system of hiking routes organized in thematic ring-routes developing between Caoria at 832 meters of altitudes, and Malga Vesnòta de sóra, one thousand meters higher, across the places where local people lived, shaping them with their own activities.
Villa Welsperg: The "House of the Park" - Water and History
Villa Welsperg, not far from the beginning of Val Canali near to the homonymous small lake, has been since 1996 the administrative seat of the Park.
Besides a hall with a huge model relief of the Park, it houses a modern and articulated visitor center provided with a video room and a historical hall dealing with the Welsperg dinasty, the ancient owners of the Villa. Moreover, there are also new and modern exhibit halls like the hall of the aquaria, the collection of wood, a library dedicated to wood and trees, the collection of minerals, the collection of rock books, the herbarium, and the collection of shrubs.
A long tree-lined road leads to the villa's chapel which is surrounded by a garden rich in scented roses, to the entrance of the center, to the garden of the medicinal plants, and finally to the nice garden-labyrinth. The library with its reading room gives visitors the opportunity to stop and read, in the open air or indoors; visitors can not only consult books and magazines, but also watch some videos. It will be soon provided with a multimedia system.
Finally, to complete the center, there is a laboratory for didactic activities, both for groups and for individuals, a reconstruction of a stable used as exhibit hall for temporary displays and a multifunctional hall in the ancient barn.
Visitor Center in San Martino di Castrozza - Geology and High-Mountain Life
Small but nice and rich in information, with photo-murals explaining the ecological conditions of the Dolomitic environments, this center provides information on naturalistic aspects linked to climate, geology, archaeology - as far as the Mesolithic site near Laghi di Colbricon - high-mountain vegetation and fauna of this protected area. The center is surrounded by a small park, a small lake with a bunker gives the opportunity to carry out underwater observation, and a rocky garden with local flower species enrich the visit to this center.
Further information: Tel. 0439/768859.
Visitor Center in Paneveggio - Forest Land
It is not far away from Lake of Forte Buso, along the SS road no 50 leading to Passo Rolle from Predazzo. The Center in Paneveggio, which has been recently renovated, lies near the homonymous big forest of spruce firs, which is well-known as Foresta dei Violini (Forest of Violins) for the quality of the trees which were once used by ancient violin makers.
It deals with the most representative local animals of the wood, among which the black grouse and the deer. Not far away visitors will see a corral where some ungulates live. A naturalistic itinerary (Italian text) with some observation points starts from this Center.
Further information: Tel. 0462/576283 - Fax 0462/577221
The Visitor Center in Prà de Madego
In the westernmost section of the Park, represented by Valle del Vanoi, there is the town of Caoria. Here, the building that once was used for elementary schools welcomes now a Visitor Center entirely dedicated to the historical, ethnographic and anthropological aspects of the area. For this reason the Center is called "Casa del Sentiero Etnografico" (House of the Ethnographic Trail), a project of the Park to recover not only the handicrafts of a territory which has been by now partly abandoned, but also the historical memory. In the Center, during the summer, there are interesting temporary exhibits. Not far from the Visitor Center, following the old "Sentiero dei Reversi", it is possible to reach the western gate of the Protected Area where tourists will find the small museum "Pra de Madègo", dedicated to human activities linked to the mountain where, with the help of drawings, photos, and historical videos, it will be possible to reconstruct things and places, houses and buildings, forges and sawmills, and become aware of the history of a recent past.
