Fontanili di Corte Valle Re Regional Nature Reserve

The Fontanili di Corte Valle Re Nature Reserve covers just 35 hectares in the municipality of Campegine, halfway between Reggio Emilia and Parma.
Part of the eponymous Site of Community Importance (SCI), the reserve is characterised by a distinctive rural complex that stands out in the surrounding countryside, with an elegant manor house topped by a small tower.
The historic farm complex is the main landmark for identifying the reserve, which was established to protect one of the last remaining examples of lowland springs and groundwater resurgence areas in Emilia-Romagna.
The landscape is characterised by small stands of water-loving trees and plants around the main springs, together with large channels of flowing water that run through the cultivated fields.
These are now rare environments, mainly due to the numerous water withdrawals for irrigation, which have lowered the groundwater table that once marked the transition between the upper and lower plains.

The fontanili, locally known as “fontanazzi” or “laghi” (“lakes”), are natural phenomena associated with groundwater emerging at the surface. Water flowing deep beneath the gravelly alluvial fans of rivers is forced upwards when it encounters layers of impermeable material.
The pool where the water emerges is known as the “head” of the spring (testa del fontanile). From here, a channel known as the “stem” (asta) carries the water away.
The spring water is exceptionally clear and maintains a temperature of between 11°C and 17°C throughout the year, encouraging vegetation to thrive even during the winter months, when small clouds of mist can be seen rising from the springs.

Did you know?
The name of the area, which once belonged to the Reggio Emilia nobility, is linked to the Re family. One of its members was the renowned agronomist Filippo Re, who served as rector of the University of Bologna at the beginning of the 19th century.

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Campegine