Stelvio National Park, Val di Sole Trentino

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STELVIO PARK: WHERE, WHEN, WHY, WHAT

About the park

Stelvio National Park is one of the most extensive protected areas in Europe.
Reaching into the region of Lombardy and the provinces of Trento and Bolzano, it stretches out around the Ortles-Cevedale mountain range. In Val di Sole it embraces the two side valleys of Peio and Rabbi.

The park was set up in 1935 with the aim of protecting the environmental equilibrium of this vast area in the heart of the Alps and, thanks to the institution of the nature reserve, Val di Peio and Val di Rabbi are still today the habitat of many animal and plant species typical to the Alpine mountain range and they have preserved unaltered the typical characteristics of high mountain landscapes.

The widely diverse configurations and forms of the land here and the huge differences in altitude enable different ecosystems to exist side by side.

Flora

The woods are mainly Norway spruce, larch, and Swiss pine with bushes of dwarf mountain pine, rhododendron, juniper, bilberry, and green alder. Above the woods, the high mountain meadows are home to lots of different grass species, which depend greatly on the kind of rock, the climatic conditions and their particular exposure.

Fauna

The most important animals here are roe and chamois deer, ibex, groundhogs, stoats, capercaillie and black grouse, rock ptarmigan, the bearded vulture and, the Park’s very own symbol, the golden eagle. The Park is inhabited by about thirty different species of mammal, some 130 bird species and many species of reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Environments

At the highest altitudes there are snowfields and glaciers, one of the most majestic being the Glacier de La Mare on the edges of which talus and scree can be found. Lower down, above the trees, there are vast expanses of Alpine meadows interrupted by bushes, while the lowest levels are mainly covered in woodland. The differences in altitude and climate encourage wide-ranging biodiversity.

Geology

The history of the rocks in this Park reaches back into the distant past and over the years they have undergone many transformations. In Val di Peio and Val di Rabbi we have eruptive and sedimentary rocks with a prevalence of metamorphic rocks, such as gneiss and granite that from a morphological point of view create mountain peaks. Characteristic Alpine valleys with the large numbers of rivers, streams and Alpine lakes testify to an abundance of water.

STELVIO PARK: HOW

Your Park Experience

You can enjoy Stelvio National Park on your own, choosing from different routes and attractions or take a closer look at its naturalistic or historic and cultural aspects in the company of our park guides. Throughout the year in fact, the Park organises activities and guided visits for a first-hand experience of nature in the Park.

PLACES IN THE PARK

Rabbi - Loc. Somrabbi

Stablét Visitors Centre

Museums and castles

Peio - Runcal area

Wildlife Area Runcal

Stelvio National Park

Rabbi - Località Plan

Venetian Sawmills in Rabbi

Museums and castles

Rabbi - Loc. Somrabbi

Dairy Museum «Casèl di Somrabbi»

Museums and castles

Peio - Cogolo

Pejo Visitors Centre

Stelvio National Park

Rabbi - Rabbi Fonti

Rabbi Visitors' Centre

Stelvio National Park

Sustainable mobility in Stelvio National Park

Stelviobus Rabbi

During the summer Val di Rabbi is closed to traffic to safeguard the quality of its air and its peace and quiet. Leave your car in the car park at Plaze dei Forni, then enjoy Val di Rabbi on foot or by bike or use the Stelviobus Rabbi to reach the starting point of your excursion in Stelvio Nationaal Park.

Timetable and Stelviobus Rabbi Lines