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Bosco del Lago Oasis, established in 1999, is located on the hills of Poggio di Castello d’Annone. On those 25 acres, there is a centuries-old wood, arranged in a horseshoe shape and made of gigantic Quercus robur specimens and several Carpinus betulus: the remains of the old querco-carpinetum grove in the province of Asti.

Inside the oasis and in the very heart of the forest, there are also some beautiful specimens of Fagus sylvatica, but also several Quercus cerris, Prunus spp., Acer campestre, Coryllus avellana, and Sambucus nigra.
In some more peripheral areas, there’s the exotic Robinia pseudoacacia which strives to invade the forest without any success.
The true grandeur of the trees makes the foliage so thick that it prevents light from reaching the undergrowth in the summer. In spring, on the other hand, abundant blooms of Anemone baldensis (anemone), and Ranunculus bulbosus (buttercup) can be found, mixed with by Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop), Erythronium dens-canis (dog’s tooth), Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley), and Pulmonaria spp. (lungwort).

Credit for the very survival of this oasis should be given to its current owner, Francesco Perazzi: in fact, he was the driving force behind the official agreement between the Municipality of Castello d’Annone and the WWF for the management of this oasis. Following such achievement, the reserve was designed with visitors’ paths and protected areas, in order to guarantee thorough preservation of its true wealth of biodiversity, flora and fauna.

Visits are allowed only to groups accompanied by the WWF staff.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)