Monte Fenera Natural Park, Regional park in Piedmont, Italy.
Monte Fenera Natural Park is a protected area of 3,378 hectares on the hills of the lower Valsesia, around the rounded summit of Monte Fenera at 899 m. It spans the municipalities of Boca, Borgomanero, Cavallirio, Grignasco, Prato Sesia and Valduggia. Karst processes have hollowed out caves such as Ciutarun, Ciota Ciara and the Grotta del Belvedere, and the church of San Bernardo stands at 894 m.
The park was established in 1987 around Monte Fenera, a rounded isolated peak of 899 m in the southern Valsesia. Karst cavities such as Ciutarun, Ciota Ciara and the Grotta del Belvedere yielded Mousterian stone and bone remains of Neanderthal man together with cave bear fossils. Finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Roman period and the Middle Ages are kept in the Museum of Palaeontology and Archaeology of Borgosesia.
The name Monte Fenera means "mountain of the fairies". The park takes its name from the 899 m peak around which it lies, and the karst caves of Ciutarun, Ciota Ciara and Grotta del Belvedere yielded Mousterian stone and bone remains of Neanderthal man and cave bear, now kept in the Museum of Palaeontology and Archaeology of Borgosesia.
The area is best explored on foot, with marked trails that wind through different landscape types and vary in difficulty. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and bring plenty of water, as shade can be limited on many routes.
The park's name comes from the mountain it encircles: "Monte Fenera" is said to mean "mountain of the fairies". The karst caves that yielded the Neanderthal finds include the Ciutarun, the Ciota Ciara and the Grotta del Belvedere. At 894 metres, just below the 899-metre summit, stands the church of San Bernardo.
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