WWF OASI - RIFUGIO MELLITTO
We are at the top of Murgia Suagna, a name deriving from “sus et agnus”, reminiscent of the times in which pigs and sheep were reared here. Over the centuries, the forest was dramatically reduced by human intervention: in the territory of Grumo, 1230 hectares of woodland in 1800 was reduced to just 630 hectares by 1947. In the middle of the 19th century, the area was just undergrowth for agriculture and pastureland. In the 1980s, the land was purchased by Signor Colombo who planted pine and cypress trees, beginning a slow reforestation of the land. In 1993, on returning to his hometown of Genoa, he decided to donate the entire area to the WWF, entrusting them with the task of bringing life and balance back to nature. The woodland, trulli and dry stone walls preserve the traces of the men and women who lived and worked in this area over the centuries. The oasis is spread over four hectares, divided into woodland, cultivated areas, steppe-like areas and clearings.
The flora includes Aleppo pines, Italian oaks, hawthorn, dog rose, terebinth, viburnum and delicate wild orchids, while the fauna includes martens, hedgehogs, foxes, birds of prey, the rare European ratsnake and numerous amphibians in the artificial pond, including the Northern crested newt, the Italian newt, common toads and European green toads. Some areas have been left to grow, allowing the original forest to gradually return to almond and olive trees. The oasis welcomes visitors who wish to participate in reforestation projects or to help build dry stone walls. Educational visits are available, offering direct contact between nature and the history. The area is fenced off and only accessible through prior booking, guaranteeing the protection of an ecosystem which, although fragile, shows surprising vitality. Among the rustling of leaves, the calling of birds and the silence of the clearings, this oasis is both ancient and contemporary: a landscape preserving beauty, history and life, showing how, with patience and care, nature will always return.