Even a fanatic of artistic beauties like me willingly gives in to nature tourism, I really like walking and even cycling. Do you feel similar? Then you should sooner or later visit the Ticino Park. Many people, even from the north, didn't know much about it; the border area between Lombardy and Piedmont where the great river flows is very populous and does not suggest such a natural paradise, yet I assure you that this "land of water”Has incredible value and charm.
Il Ticino it is a natural border between the two regions and the park is equally distributed between the two banks, between the provinces of Novara and that of Varese; I have visited the Piedmontese “shore” in more detail, the Lombard side extends towards Malpensa and, from what I have read, the airport expansion also endangers its existence.
Un river park, therefore, a "land of waters"; unusual for those not accustomed to the flow of large rivers. The first impact is with the numerous water birds, cormorants, egrets, herons, mallards that meet on the banks; there are also many mammals. Along the paths there are explanatory panels on the flora and fauna theme. The Park also has several Visitor Centers where to get supplies of materials and information.
Da Ticino bridge near Novara, where we had made our base, it is possible to go for walks in very beautiful areas from a naturalistic point of view; unfortunately we hadn't brought the bicycle and there were no rentals in the area, so my holiday was mainly made up of walk on foot; there is an advantage, there are no climbs! My advice is to leave with your own bike or to rent it in Novara or in any case in a larger city. In all there are 780km of cycle and pedestrian paths, the river still offers different types of holidays, from trekking to canoeing to cycling.
To sleep we opted for a very natural solution, that is a camping on the river: we did not sleep in a tent but in a wooden house with a river view, very comfortable and romantic, which is a good alternative to a hotel. Playa di Valverde is the name of the campsite, the guest houses have variable prices (around € 80 per day, including all expenses).
I really liked the passage from agricultural areas to villages, where the river flows placidly and there are hints of what was once an intense navigation: the canals as a road used by people to move from village to village. The main interest of the area is naturalistic for the species that live there, for the luxuriant plants, the crops and the landscape, but if the Ticino is a river with a wide and very variable bed, the ships and other man-made service channels for irrigation characterize the entire region.
Among the towns visited, the one I liked the most was Turbigo, crossed the bridge over the Ticino and then into Lombardy. There are no important monuments in Turbigo, but there is a canal along which to walk and which speaks: of a different past, where activities on the river were bustling; of stately homes and factories, now abandoned. Many abandoned buildings, but which still bear signs of dignity.
