In the first weekend of summer 2024, the Castelli Romani Regional Park stopped in Lariano (RM) to continue the tour linked to the fortieth anniversary of its establishment. From Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd June, a series of events followed one another culminating in the inauguration of the “Biodiversity Path”, in the Fonte Vallone area and in the “Visit to the Necropolis and the Rupestrian Village of Maschio di Lariano”, an organized educational walk from the ‘Gruppo Sentieristica Vulcano Laziale’.
The three-day event opened on the afternoon of Friday 21 June, in the town hall, when the conference “Our forests and the value of forest ecosystems” took place, which attracted various experts in the sector to the council chamber, eager to explore a topic very dear to the people of Lariano who have long based their economy on their forest heritage.
The meeting, presented and moderated by councilor Sabrina Verri, opened with institutional greetings from the mayor Francesco Montecuollo, followed by the councilor for the environment Fabrizio Ferrante Carrante and the president of the city council Natalino Ascenzi. The Mayor thanked the leaders of the regional body, complimenting “the Park’s desire to create a traveling festival in the various municipalities of the area”.
In his speech, the extraordinary commissioner of the Park Authority, Ivan Boccali, exalted the importance of Nature, also underlining the benefits for health. «The Park has a well-defined mission and with humility and a spirit of service we position ourselves as the director of a common path, in which everyone must do their part, demonstrating with actions their attention to the environment».
The director of the Park, Emanuela Angelone, focused on the forest and its numerous functions, «as an essential element of the landscape, a reservoir of C02, a place for recreation and protection of the soil and water». Finally, you recalled that «the role of the Park is to enhance all souls in compliance with the founding purposes of the Institution, and the example of the Biodiversity Path demonstrates our ability to also carry out promotion and awareness-raising activities».
In his appreciated speech, Daniele Scifoni, environmental historian, retraced the history of the Lariano Forest, delving into the historical relationship between the Lariano population and its vast green lung: «In Lariano – he stated – the natural and forestry environment has played a crucial role in the growth of the community, but today the forest, which has preserved very important archaeological resources like a treasure chest, has also become a precious cultural resource.”
The archaeologist Flavio Altamura focused on this, recalling how «in the wooded areas of the Lariano area there are real ecological niches».
Francesco Marini (PEFC Italia – Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) then spoke and focused on forest certification and ecosystem services, for a more harmonized culture of environmental and forest management.
Finally, Gianluca Piovesan, of the University of Tuscia, focused his attention on the coppice castenile, inviting all the “actors in the game” to focus on the opportunities deriving from the related industries.
On Saturday morning the “Biodiversity Path” was inaugurated in the Fonte Vallone area.
The project, financed by the Lazio Rural Development Program – PSR 2014-2020, improved an existing path for hiking and nature purposes. Along the route, two rest areas have been equipped with information boards and naturalistic observation points, enhancing local fauna such as amphibians and bats.
On this occasion, the mayor Francesco Montecuollo expressed “great esteem and gratitude to the Castelli Romani Park, for its work in protecting and safeguarding biodiversity”.
The following day, Sunday 23 June, the weekend dedicated to Lariano ended with the long-awaited visit to the Necropolis and the Rupestrian Village of Maschio di Lariano, an educational walk organized by the Vulcano Laziale Trail Group.
