Romanengo, Ticengo e Casaletto di Sopra, Naviglio della Melotta

The Naviglio di Melotta protected area is made of a tableau that is about 10 m higher than the surrounding plain. This is probably due to geological causes that have protected this part of territory from erosion. The tableau is cut lengthwise by the Melotta naviglio (canal). This canal is regulated artificially and runs between steep walls that are covered with a thick vegetation.
The area is interesting for its geological peculiarity and its vegetation.
PLANTS
The most commmon species in this territory are poplars, plane-trees, locust-trees, elms and mulberry-trees.
In the areas where the water is stagnant you will find canes, the typical marsh plants.
Chestnut trees grow in dry areas and they are the only ones growing in the Cremona province.
ANIMALS
Many fish like chubs, pikes and eels live in the canal thanks to the good quality of its waters.
Among the amphibian animals there is the Lataste frog and the cristated triton.
The presence of both woods and marsh areas make this reserve the ideal habitat for many species of birds. There are water birds like the water-hen and the kingfisher.
Among the birds living in the wood there are cuckoos, woodpeckers, blackcaps and goldcrests.
In these woods it is also possible to find hoopoe's nests that are generally very rare.
Many species of mammalian animals have disappeared from this area because of the hunting activity that has been particularly intense in the past years. Fortunately some badgers, beech-martens and weasels are still left. The fox has also come back thanks to the creation of the reserve in 1984.