Torbiere del Sebino Nature Reserve, Brescia
Torbiere del Sebino Nature Reserve has been declared Special Protection Area (SPA) in Lombardy, where biodiversity is a priority and must be preserved.
The reserve plays a key role in preserving the wide variety of habitats and species, aquatic and marshy, rare or at risk of extinction in Italy.
What's the meaning of Torbiere?
Torbiere comes from “torba” (peat).
Peat is a deposit made up of sunken and water-impregnated plant remains and animal carcasses, which are unable to decompose entirely, due to the acidity of the environment.
Peat represents the initial stage of coal formation. In fact, at the end of the 18th century, local spinning mills started using it (it was a great fuel!).
Little by little even the local people started using peat for heating up their houses. This was excellent for the local economy: people didn’t have to import coal, which was expensive, as they used peat instead!
Its use ended in the 50s. Nowadays, you can visit the reserve and even fish in it!
