Le Grave Biotope

Not far from St. Colomba Lake there is a small protected area called “Le Grave”.
It has been a provincial biotope since 1988. It is an area where there is an unusual situation with a small peat bog which is the habitat of rare vegetal and animal species, overlooked by a small hill covered with stunted Scotch pines, real natural bonsai trees.
The particular name of this site depends on the fact that it is covered with a thick layer of mineral detritus excavated and abandoned by the ancient metal workers and, in more recent times, by the barite mining which was carried out until the early 1960s.

The visitors’ path
The path to visit the biotope starts near Santa Colomba Lake.  The route is circular, winding through the territory of the biotope and finally leading, at the end of the visit, back to the main entrance. The whole route takes about two and a half hours, without hurrying and with a few short stops to observe, take photographs, take notes and rest. The path presents no technical difficulty. Some stretches are uphill and can be tiring, but they are, in any case, within everyone’s capabilities. Clothing should be comfortable, above all with suitable footwear. Along the path there are 14 points of particular interest, where boards with a short descriptive phrase have been positioned.