Bosco delle Maddalene

In the area known as “Maddalene,” just north of the city of Vicenza, in what in the past was one of the villages outside the walls that formed part of the subdivision operated by the Serenissima Republic in the Vicenza area, you can find Bosco Urbano delle Maddalene (Maddalene Urban Forest).

In the early Middle Ages, the site was a wild forest alternated with impassable marshes, but a small convent with an adjoining church was already inhabited by repentant Magdalenes, who had become nuns. Hence the name that still identifies the location, which can be reached by turning onto Strada delle Maddalene when arriving at the Pasubio roundabout. You can take a walk starting from the parking area near the new church and following the cycling-walking trail: this is the Trozzo Road. It runs alongside the recreated Bosco delle Maddalene (Magdalene Forest), which shows the difference in tree species between a mountain forest and an urban one: no conifers but poplars, alders, willows and oaks. Following the cart track you will reach the Seriola springs. This site, beloved by the people of Vicenza, overflows with primal beauty.

Amidst the thick forest, small streams flow into the clearest pool where the water “simmers” and draws crystal-clear circles on its surface. Shiny green Water Celery grows in areas where the light is brightest. A spring gushes an abundant stream into one of the last surviving traces of the ancient lowland forests that once covered the area, before the land reclamations.

This forest is part of Associazione Forestale di Pianura (Lowland Forest Association).