In Pettorano sul Gizio, the Bear Smart Community Genzana will be able to boast of having a unique, original place that is able to connect natural and human history in a permanent exhibition that will surprise everyone!
Friday 17 May, at 11:00, at the Cantelmo Castle in Pettorano sul Gizio, the opening event of “Bear’s Den” Interpretive Center of the CEA – Centre for Environmental Education Monte Genzana will take place. This initiative is promoted and supported by the Municipality of Pettorano sul Gizio, the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Regional Nature Reserve, the Valleluna Cooperative, Rewilding Apennines, and Salviamo l’Orso, and has been carried out by biologist and environmental interpreter Fabio Collepardo Coccia.
In just a few months, with a lot of work and creativity, some small rooms in the beautiful castle of Pettorano sul Gizio have been transformed into a natural environment: in an Apennine beech forest, a cavity in the rock leads to a dark but alive place, full of evocative and mysterious creatures and sounds. There, where bears spend the long winter months, it will be possible to discover the secrets of this species so iconic of the territory of the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Nature Reserve and the entire central Apennines.
The Bear’s Den Interpretive Center aims to be an exciting place dedicated to luxuriant nature, the real wealth of this territory, a permanent education center dedicated to young people and adults who want to get closer to the themes of biodiversity protection, the human-wildlife relationship and the history of the landscape, a laboratory for building experiences and knowledge through environmental interpretation, a new source of attraction for tourists and a small jewel for the community… a community that for years has been concretely committed to fostering coexistence between humans and bears and has contributed to the construction of the Bear Den.
“The municipal administration is proud to be able to count on a new exhibition space dedicated to the Marsican brown bear and its habitat to further characterize the beauty of Pettorano sul Gizio. It will certainly be of great value for both citizens and visitors.”, said Antonio Carrara, Mayor of Pettorano sul Gizio.
Are you curious to come and discover the Bear’s Den? After the opening event, it will be possible to visit it, accompanied by specially trained staff, during the same opening hours and days as Cantelmo Castle. It will also be possible to arrange visits for groups and school classes by contacting the offices of the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Regional Reserve.
We invite everyone, especially families with children, to visit the Bear’s Den. We are sure that this unique experience will leave its mark.
