A RIVER TO DISCOVER
The Sarca river, 78 km long, flows from its source in the the Adamello glacier, the largest Italian glacier, and cuts through the Genova valley until Pinzolo and crosses the Rendena valley until Tione. From here it crosses the Giudicarie Esteriori to then enter, at Comano Terme, into the picturesque Limarò Canyon. From Sarche, the lower course of the river continues where it crosses the Marocche di Drio Biotope, the biggest landslide in the entire Alpine mountain chain. It then flows into Garda Lake at Torbole.
The lower course of the river, with its mild climate, its lakes and vertiginous rock faces represents one of the most beautiful places of the entire Alpine mountain chain.
WATER QUALITY
The water quality of a river depends on many factors often attributed to man’s activities. The factors that contribute to pollution are evident in chemical and bioindicator analyses. Organisms which are present or absent in the water are indicative of the quality of a flow/ stretch of water.
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On the basis of the River Functionality Index (IFF), the Sarca river in both the upper and lower courses has an ecological value of medium to excellent.
This data indicates a good presence of pollution-sensitive bioindicative communities and that the river doesn’t exceed European limits of harmful substance concentration.
NATURE and BIODIVERSITY
Travelling through the very varied environments like the Alpine one of the Genova valley, the Karst one of the Limarò canyon and the biotope of the Marocche di Dro, the Sarca river maintains, in its lower course, a rich riparian vegetation and the presence of important natural elements, both for their geology and fauna.
This is all guaranteed by the presence of thick river banks, often natural or with low-impact human intervention.
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Immediately downstream of the Marocchi di Dro biotope, the Ischia di Sopra local reserve has important conservationist value ( one of the last flood plain areas of the lower course of the Sarca river ) and the Le Gere local reserve ( an important reproductive area for fish fauna).
HISTORY
The exceptional natural heritage of the Sarca adds even more to the beautiful landscape where you can see land cultivated with vines and olives next to architectural heritage, of which the Roman bridge of Ceniga stands out.
All of this is interspersed with the spectacular background of the vertiginous limestone rock
faces that every year attract thousands of outdoor activity enthusiasts.