"Pralongo" Area

This area, characterized by particularly moist soil, is home to the “Pralongo” farm of the same name, which manages these pastures during the summer months. Walking along the bike and pedestrian path that runs alongside the farm’s lands, you can admire cows and horses grazing on one side and, on the other, a beautiful mixed forest of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and silver fir (Abies alba).

The area is surrounded by a splendid backdrop of peaks: we are located below Mount Rusiana (1,826 m above sea level) and the Marmarole range, where we can particularly admire the Croda Alta di Somprade (2,654 m above sea level) and the Croda da Rin (2,407 m above sea level). To the northeast lies the Croda dei Toni range, featuring Monte Giralba and Croda de Ligonto, while to the southwest, the Sorapis range is visible.

The pastures in this area, which are very damp due to the gentle slope and the proximity of the Ansiei River, are rich in hygrophilous species (that is, those that prefer damp and periodically flooded areas), such as the beautiful European globeflower (Trollius europaeus), marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre), the sharp-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus acris), the upright cinquefoil (Potentilla erecta), and devil’s-bit (Succisa pratensis).

In areas where water drains more freely, biodiversity increases: for example, Scheuchzer’s bellflower (Campanula scheuchzeri), goat’s beard (Tragopogon pratensis), the branched dandelion (Scorzoneroides autumnalis), the St. John’s lily (Lilium bulbiferum), the campion or “sciopet” (Silene vulgaris), the blackish cornflower (Centaurea nigrescens), the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), and the red clover (Trifolium pratense) and white clover (Trifolium repens). Where, on the other hand, rainwater stagnates—in an area farther from the road—there is a raised bog, with a clear predominance of sphagnum mosses (Sphagnum spp.), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), and heather (Calluna vulgaris). Finally, in some sections of pasture—especially where the soil is moist and there is greater trampling and fertilization by livestock—meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) predominates, forming uniform expanses.