Mountain pastures, woodlands and ancient Alpine cottages: 200 hectares of Alpine landscapes in the heart of the Orobie Valtellinesi, affording a wonderful panorama. An environmental regeneration project to reinstate the mountainside’s time-honoured vocation as pastureland.

Bequeathed to FAI by Stefano Tirinzoni in 2011

LEGGI LA VERSIONE ITALIANA

Set on the northern slope of the Bergamo Alps, within the Orobie Valtellinesi National Park, the Pedroria Alp (1929 metres above sea level) and the Madrera Alp (1435 m above sea level) afford panoramic views of untainted pastureland and woodland, reaching all the way to the unstable terrain of the higher altitudes. This 200-hectare area is exceptionally rich in terms of the biodiversity of its flora and fauna, with a full 70 hectares of woods complemented by 20 of florid pastures that lay abandoned for years before the reinstatement of sheep farming.
The economy here revolves around the mountain huts, which provide the backdrop to the seasonal work of the herders who, to this day, drive their herds up to them. The huts are equipped with stables and cheese-making rooms, and feature typical dry-stone walls, which almost seem to protect the summits of Mount Pisello, Mount Culino and Mount Lago, which overlook the pastures.
Numerous hiker-friendly paths make their way through a wide variety of natural habitats in which the spruce fir is the most abundant species; this area also plays host to several species of Alpine fauna, including black grouse, which finds its ideal habitat here.
After many years of working with FAI, as chief of the Sondrio Delegation and director of works on the restoration of Grumello Castle, architect Stefano Tirinzoni bequeathed these precious embodiments of ancient mountain traditions to FAI as a tangible sign of his deep, long-lasting bond with these valleys of his.