Italian Trip tips

[S. Venaticus]

Hello everyone. I'm planning a trip to northern Italy for the summer with some friends and even though my schedule is quite heavy, I was thinking about visiting either Parco Faunistico La Torbiera or parco Faunistico Le Cornelle (or maybe both, but that's unlikely). So, I have a couple of questions for people who have already visited these places.
1. Are they easy to get to for someone who doesn't have a car and will be using a lot of public transport? (I've already looked at a bunch of options, but I' d like to avoid any bad surprises)
2. How much time is enough to properly see each facility? (From what I have gathered la Torbiera takes much less than Le Cornelle)
3. Are there any particular species I should look out for and if yes, any tips on seeing them?
Any more tips are much appreciated!

 

[Okapi_Els]

Hello everyone. I'm planning a trip to northern Italy for the summer with some friends and even though my schedule is quite heavy, I was thinking about visiting either Parco Faunistico La Torbiera or parco Faunistico Le Cornelle (or maybe both, but that's unlikely). So, I have a couple of questions for people who have already visited these places.
1. Are they easy to get to for someone who doesn't have a car and will be using a lot of public transport? (I've already looked at a bunch of options, but I' d like to avoid any bad surprises)
2. How much time is enough to properly see each facility? (From what I have gathered la Torbiera takes much less than Le Cornelle)
3. Are there any particular species I should look out for and if yes, any tips on seeing them?
Any more tips are much appreciated!

I also travelled through Italy in spring (exclusively by public transport) and can answer quite a few questions.
1. Both parks can be reached by public transport. From Bergamo, bus 8 goes regularly to Briolo, and the nearest stop is within walking distance of Le Cornelle if you are in good shape. La Torbiera requires much more effort, the only option is to take a very early bus from Borgomanero towards Novara with a stop in Agrate Conturbia. From there it's another 15-20-minute walk. Unfortunately, you'll get to the park way too early then, as the bus only goes once in the morning. From Novara, the same applies. But it is therefore possible for both parks, given good planning.
2. In terms of time, La Torbiera is indeed less day-filling. The walking route is simple; just a big loop around the lake. As a photographer, I was completely done there after 2-3 hours; mostly because most species were hard to see. La Torbiera has large natural enclosures where the animals come first and visibility is not always optimal due to the lush vegetation. Nevertheless, I personally found it a lovely park; very natural. Le Cornelle is crammed with animal enclosures to your left and right. I estimate (as a photographer) that 4 hours will do the trick.
3. As for “special” species, La Torbiera has more to offer with Quolls, Siberian weasels, and lots of felines.... But again, visibility; you have to be lucky. Le Cornelle has many more species, but the typical ABC species you see everywhere.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[S. Venaticus]

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Thank you so much!

La Torbiera requires much more effort, the only option is to take a very early bus from Borgomanero towards Novara with a stop in Agrate Conturbia. From there it's another 15-20-minute walk. Unfortunately, you'll get to the park way too early then, as the bus only goes once in the morning. From Novara, the same applies. But it is therefore possible for both parks, given good planning.

From what I saw there is also the option of getting a train to borgo Ticino and from there either walk for 3,5km (I don't really mind the distance) or take a taxi (which will take around 8 minutes)
Is it a good idea to take a taxi or Uber in Italy for a tourist?
If yes, are there any apps you would recommend?

 

[Okapi_Els]

Thank you so much!
From what I saw there is also the option of getting a train to borgo Ticino and from there either walk for 3,5km (I don't really mind the distance) or take a taxi (which will take around 8 minutes)
Is it a good idea to take a taxi or Uber in Italy for a tourist?
If yes, are there any apps you would recommend?

Borgo Ticino is definitely another good option if you don't object to the hike. (Mind you, part of the road is through traffic and without a footpath). I have less experience with Italian taxis, I only had to use 1 myself between Ancona and Falconara to reach the animal park there. They were ready at the station, but that won't be the case in Borgo Ticino. The villages nearby are small and not tourisic.... The only advantage you have is the proximity to Milano Malpensa airport, from there I'm sure taxis can be arranged....
Maybe other Italian users on this forum can provide useful apps?

 

[Andreaghido]

Hello everyone. I'm planning a trip to northern Italy for the summer with some friends and even though my schedule is quite heavy, I was thinking about visiting either Parco Faunistico La Torbiera or parco Faunistico Le Cornelle (or maybe both, but that's unlikely). So, I have a couple of questions for people who have already visited these places.
1. Are they easy to get to for someone who doesn't have a car and will be using a lot of public transport? (I've already looked at a bunch of options, but I' d like to avoid any bad surprises)
2. How much time is enough to properly see each facility? (From what I have gathered la Torbiera takes much less than Le Cornelle)
3. Are there any particular species I should look out for and if yes, any tips on seeing them?
Any more tips are much appreciated!

Hi, you can reach Cornelle with a 20-30 minutes walk from Ponte San Pietro train station, and La Torbiera with a 30 minutes walk from Borgo Ticino train station.
Main species at Torbiera: Siberian weasel, european mink, capercallie, quoll, caucasian tur, pallas's cat, jaguarundi, fishing cat
Main species at Cornelle: Northern fur seal, Peach-throated monitor, Striped hyena, Cougar, Cape giraffe, Bongo, Crowned lapwing, Indian flying fox,
.
.
Edit: you should include Parco Natura viva in your trip too

 

[S. Venaticus]

Thank you @Andreaghido
Unfortunately parco natura viva -though definitely beautiful and a place I would very much like to visit in the future - isn't in my plans due to time constraints.

 

[S. Venaticus]

So, it's been some time since my trip to northern Italy, but now that I have some spare time, I thought that I should just mention how I actually got to Le Cornelle, as someone looking for advice might stumble on this thread.

I took a morning train from Milan to Bergamo (from porta Garibaldi to be exact) and then went to the bus station. From there I took the 8b line to briolo which has a stop at Valbrembo Meucci 28.
(If you miss that stop, don't worry... The next one is the last stop and is something like 20m away, because the bus goes around a block.). Moreover, the 8b line, when it reaches the last stop, changes to the 8 line, which takes you back to the bus station in Bergamo. (I mention this because I was actually a bit confused when I waited for my return bus.)

From there it is a straight line to Le Cornelle on foot. Unless you have some medical condition or you are in the middle of a heatwave (those happen a lot during summer in southern European countries), you shouldn't worry about the distance. I was afraid that I would get tired, but I arrived at the park in no time.

Also important to mention is that yes, the road to the park has no sidewalk, but I actually encountered little traffic and even though cars were passing by from time to time, I never felt that I was in danger.

Lastly, google maps will show you a kind of weird route were you basically avoid a road. I'm not sure why, because the road is perfectly fine and saves you like 30m of walking...
P.S. if you have more questions you can also go to the atb bergamo site (the website of the company that operates public transport in Bergamo) and it has a very helpful route planner where you can type your location and your destination and shows which buses to take and when. Hope that helps!