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This is a small wood of 15 acres, located in the Metauro Valley, amongst the hills.
It belongs to the church and is subject to special protection; rich in history and traditions, it is a mixed forest of deciduous trees, including large downy oaks, black hornbeams, chestnuts, and ashes which grow on sandy-molassic soil.

In particular, it is a mesophilic and meso-xerophilous oak wood of downy oaks, still quite intact, with many trees of remarkable size. It is one of the few surviving kinds of wood which used to cover the middle portion of the hills in this area.

On the drier south-eastern side, there is a predominance of downy oaks, while on the cooler western and northern ones, there are black hornbeams and common hornbeams.
Quite common at higher altitudes, but extremely rare in this area, there are also many specimens of Lathyrus venetus, Sanicula europaea, and Lilium bulbiferum subsp. “croceum”.

In 1971, “Bosco del Beato Sante” was included in the Census of biotopes of significant vegetational interest worthy of conservation in Italy, edited by the Italian Botanical Society.
At the center of the wood, there’s the Franciscan Convent of Beato Sante, a religious and cultural destination.

Wood details (from www.lavalledelmetauro):

Trees, shrubs and vines:

Acer campestre, Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum, Asparagus acutifolius, Clematis vitalba, Cornus mas, Cornus sanguinea, Corylus avellana, Cotinus coggygria, Crataegus monogyna, Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, Emerus major, Euonymus europaeus, Fraxinus ornus, Hedera helix, Ligustrum vulgare, Lonicera caprifolium, Lonicera etrusca, Lonicera xylosteum, Ostrya carpinifolia, Prunus spinosa, Quercus pubescens, Robinia pseudacacia, Rubia peregrina, Rubus ulmifolius, Ruscus aculeatus, Sambucus nigra, Smilax aspera, Sorbus domestica, Sorbus torminalis, Ulmus minor, and Viburnum lantana.
Allochthonous species introduced in the wood: Castanea sativa, Quercus ilex, and Tilia platyphyllos.

Herbaceous and chamaephite plants:

Ajuga reptans, Alliaria petiolata, Anemone hortensis, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arum italicum, Asplenium onopteris, Astragalus glycyphyllos, Blackstonia perfoliata, Bromus ramosus, Buglossoides purpurocaerulea, Cephalanthera damasonium, Cephalanthera longifolia, Chelidonium majus, Colchicum lusitanum, Cruciata glabra, Cyclamen hederifolium, Cyclamen repandum, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Dorycnium hirsutum, Epipactis helleborine, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Euphorbia dulcis, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Glechoma hirsuta, Helianthemun nummularium subsp. obscurum, Hepatica nobilis, Inula salicina, Lathyrus niger, Lathyrus venetus, Lilium bulbiferum subsp. croceum, Lunaria annua, Melittis melissophyllum, Neottia nidus-avis, Oenanthe pimpinelloides, Orchis purpurea, Origanum vulgare, Orobanche gracilis, Pallenis spinosa, Polygala nicaeensis subsp. mediterranea, Primula vulgaris, Pteridium aquilinum, Sanicula europaea, Silene italica, Stachys officinalis, Symphytum tuberosum subsp. angustifolium, Tamus communis, Teucrium chamaedrys, Vinca major, Vinca minor, Viola alba subsp. dehnhardtii, Viola reichenbachiana.

Mammals: common pipistrelle, Hazel dormouse.

Birds:
Nesting species – Eurasian wryneck, nuthatch, common cuckoo, turtle dove, golden oriole, Eurasian hoopoe, wren, short-toed treecreeper, European robin, common redstart, common blackbird, great tit, Eurasian blackcap, long-tailed tit, Common nightingale, common chiffchaff, common chaffinch, European greenfinch, European serin, European goldfinch, Cirl bunting.

Reptiles:
slow worm, common wall lizard, Western green lizard, green whip snake, Aesculapian snake.

Amphibians:
common toad

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)