Nature on Monte Generoso

The past few years have seen an increase in the precise observation of nature.
To the Grotta “of the bear” have been added the various educational paths, the many popular publications, the numerous tours with expert guides who describe the natural wonders of the mountain and the ingenuity of the men who have lived on it in the past decades, the astronomical observatory with its telescope, the most powerful and modern in the whole of Switzerland.

Monte Generoso’s chalky substrate has favoured the development of over 800 plant species, a high number that makes this area one of the most precious in the Canton of Ticino. Among them there are some very rare species that are not found in the rest of Switzerland.

During the last ice ages, Monte Generoso was an island that rose in the middle of an extensive sea of ice. On it, many plant and animal species from very different countries found refuge. Monte Generoso showed its great generosity, welcoming them during the lengthy ice age, offering them the opportunity to survive and reproduce themselves. They live side by side.
The prodigious plant varieties are favoured by the insubrico climate, typified by plentiful rain that is distributed quite regularly during the growing period. The winters are dry and mild thanks to the frequent presence of the Föhn wind.
All the species are protected.