The Parco delle OrobieValtellinesi is a regional park in Lombardy which was established in 1989. The park includes the Valtellinese part of the Orobie mountain chain, mountains north of the Lombardy plain and theprealpine foothills. The park includes in its entirety the Provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Lecco and Sondrio and is subdivided into 12 tributary valleys that flow from north to south toward the Valtellina. The southern slope is gentler and the valleys are morphologicallymore pronounced with numerous ramifications, while the northern side, the Valtellinese, descends more steeplytoward the Adda Valley, marked by deep valley grooves in a more or lessparallel pattern.

On this side, we find the park, Parco delle Orobie Valtellinesi. Relatively unknown to mass tourism, thesemountains guard, along with the ancient presence of humans, the secrets of apristine natural setting which hosts rare animal species such as roe deer,chamois, and ibex, the latter recently re-introduced into this setting, and the capercaillie, which has become the emblem of the park.

The numerous side valleys takeon an aspect that is impenetrable and wild, like the Val Caronella and the Val Malgina, and the next moment wide and open, like the Valli del Bitto. Despite their constant recession, there are stillicebergs here, as well as a great number of small intensely coloured mountain lakes, giving the mountain landscape great variety and interest.

Set in greenery and absolute peace, the refuges offer restauration and genuine valtellinese dishes such as the pizzoccheri (tagliatelle made with buckwheat), polenta taragna, and crespelle al bitto, which in these parts is still produced in the "calecc," a stone structure temporarily covered with a canvas or tarpaulin. Alongside this cheese, you can also enjoy the excellent quartirolo lombardo and the bresaola della valtellina.