Parco della Preistoria di Rivolta d'Adda

History of the park

Construction of the park began in March 1976, and lasted for two years. From '76-'78, besides the jobs of realization, were added the prehistorical animal reconstructions, realized with scientific attention to detail, to seemingly recreate true animals. In fact, it was possible to create these reconstructions, beginning from the fossils of skeletons that were recovered in various international sites, and then by the study and analysis of the details of musculature, tissues, and skin; in this way, it was possible to create models in miniature, which were then reconstructioned in fibreglass, to recreate them in their natural greatness, just as these animals appeared millions of years ago.

2023: insertion of the Spinosaurus, movement of the Allosaurus next to the Stegosaurus and reversal of location between Saltriovenator and Scolosaurus.

Botany

Along the left bank of the Adda, the park offers a variety of vegetation and partially wooded formations. The forests of Northern Italy have been subject, for many centuries, to the various agricultural activities of reclamations and deforestations. However, in this line of the river it is, in fact, possible to experience the last hems of the primordial forest, characterized by deciduous leaf trees. The park wood entertains an intermixed variety of trees, such as: poplars, elms, locust trees, etc. The park features a proliferation of wild plants (such as violets, primroses, hawthorns, etc.) and other ancestral cultivations; its brushwood is invaluable.

The park wood is a mixture of latileaves deciduous trees. The forest structure is divided into three layers: arboreal, shrubby, and grassy. The arboreal layer consists of tall trees (over 15 m on average). The trees foliage of this layer accord an intermittent coverage, giving the impression of an open forest. The shrubby layer is characterized by plants to varying height (from 1 to 7 m). The grassy layer is constituted by various ground plants, including climbing plants, such as ivy.

In the final part of the course, there is a swamp, bordering on the nearby herons lake (lago degli aironi). It is characterized by an ample curve, evolved in the time with the detachment from the quoted lake (meander). Here it is possible to admire the great variety of vegetation, characterized by: willows and larches; and aquatic vegetation, characterized by: water lilies, nasturtiums, etc.; in the muddy parts are noticed: cattails and marshy reeds. The rest of the vegetation, present in the center of the swamp, includes submerged plants, cried plants, semicried plants, and reeds.