July 2009, additional entrance from the wall? It is useless.

The Comitato is of the opinion that an additional entrance from the historic wall of 1814 is useless and dangerous for the ancient wall itself. People can easily utilize the very close entrance of via Lecco thus avoiding to jeopardize the ancient wall and saving public funds. Funds could instead be used to restore the ancient wall that is deeply damaged.



Rally in the park of October 19, 2008

In October 2008, the Comitato organized a rally in the park. A number of photos can be viewed in the website. 2008 has been a horrible year for Parco di Monza, yet 2009 and 2010 were even worse. People agree on the fact that a racing track inside a historic park is now fully anachronistic besides threatening its overall order. You can go back to the home page and go through the petition that thousands of citizens sent to local administrators. The Comitato is receiving the letters in copy and is therefore in a position to monitor.



Rescue for the "Roccolo"

In co-operation with Patagonia Europe, a US-based company, a dream is coming true. The Comitato per il Parco had been looking for grants by private companies in favour of the green asset of the park. A positive answer came from Patagonia Europe, having head office in California and offices spread all over the world. Every year the Company grants one percent of its earnings - one percent for the planet - to non-profit associations that have reportedly struggled in favour of the environment. Grants can be devoted solely to environmental rescue projects, thus excluding other purposes.

The "Roccolo" area is a significant example of the complexity of Parco di Monza. It expresses the capability of developing space, vegetation, naturalistic observation and knowledge of bird life.
It is essentially a circle of trees in a double row. The more prevalent type is the horn-beam, as it turns out to be very ductile. The first circle of trees contains a second circle of trees and shrubs that have been selected due to their capability of attracting birds thanks to their berries. The initial purpose of the Roccolo was to capture birds with nets. However it was also an important venue for enjoyable get-togethers. For management on a regular basis the Roccolo requires a profound knowledge of botany and gardening for the planting of suitable species, for tree and shrub pruning, for adapting trees to the needs of birds that are to be attracted. Apparently the Roccolo was overseen and utilised after 1922, year in which the race track was built. There are a number of good reasons that justify the continued presence and preservation of the Roccolo within the Parco di Monza.

Historic interest

Although it was not part of the nineteenth-century layout, Brenna's map of 1845 located it in a different area. It has the value of a memorial and is a witness to the past use of the Parco di Monza which includes hunting.

Naturalistic interest

The Roccolo is a green space projected, created and preserved with clear rules and on scientific bases. It is of great scenic value akin to a row of trees or a leafy boulevard; it is a green installation that in particular defines the scenery in the Italian Regions of Lombardia and Veneto. The original layout deserves preservation and maintenance with the added improvement of making the Roccolo compatible with the overall scheme and present use of the park.

Scientific, educational and leisure interests

The present use of the Roccolo is compatible with the cultural and environmental goal of the park since the possible capture of birds would be strictly for educational purposes within the scope of naturalistic studies. This compatibility depends on the commitment to maintain and preserve the original design in order to prevent deterioration and the improper use it has been subject to over the past decades. As a result of "improper use" over fifty trees were lost in the past six years alone. Failure to tend for and re-plant this area might lead to the rapid disappearance of the whole arboreal layout.



Golf course in a historic park: this is an Italian story

The Parco di Monza is also housing a golf club, a private association composed of some 700 members. In other words, 700 people only have the sole use of approx. 1 million sq.meters of park, whilst folks, namely 2 million visitors per year, have 3 million sq.meters at their disposal as a whole.

Besides, it is a misbelief that golf courses do not damage environment.



Issue of the track banked bends

In 1955 it is decided to build a high speed sector called "banked track" or "high speed ring". The concrete ring is 4.25 km long and includes two wide banked bends. As a consequence of this new premise, the area leased to the racing track increased from 145 to 196 hectares, there including two areas named Gerascia and Roccolo, that were very important from a naturalistic and strategic viewpoint. The banked bends are cutting the overall view designed by architect Luigi Canonica, who planned the park final setup between 1805 and 1808, thus further affecting the original order. The speed ring also destroyed the testing English and red oak particles set to measure these species' profitability to produce timber. These wide grounds were largely used as parking areas and helicopter station during the Grand Prix. The speed ring was very little used: from 1955, year of building, up to 1961, when it was finally left, it was used only for 1955, 1956, 1960 and 1961 Grand Prix. Since the beginning, the banked bends appeared to be technologically unsuited; being based on English technology - rear engine, light chassis - European F1 cars could not face the extremely stressing centrifugal force of the speed ring. They could really fly out of the track. The speed ring was used again only twice, in 1965 and in 1969, for the 1000 km, a game devoted to sport, prototype and touring cars. In summary, far from being in the van of car technological tests, the banked bends turned out to be, since the beginning, a technological monster. Better to say that an important area of the park was destroyed and cemented for NOTHING, not to talk about the fees supported by Cities and Province.
At present, the banked bends are highly deteriorated and dangerous for those walking or passing nearby. In fact, a survey aimed at its demolition, dtd Sept. 16, 1993, required by a former administrator of the Parco di Monza, reads: "The captioned banked bends frame is very badly kept, some slabs are so damaged that they cannot bear any charge, whilst truss and pillars show deeply eaten iron frame. So, apart from maintaining a "sample section for history purposes only", their demolition is also foreseen by regional law no. 40 of July 1995.



Phytopathology

The Comitato is also supplying the local institutions with documentation about the main diseases affecting trees in the park.



Piggy-bank for the old oak

In line with the Comitato's attitude, the park will be meeting its users on this occasion as well. A wind storm has uprooted a high number of trees, there including some of particular importance for our asset supporters - among them the big oak that was standing in the meadow between Mirabello and Mirabellino villas. There comes our decision to start a money collection to buy new trees that will replace their illustrious forefathers. New trees were therefore planted thus rising the occasion for the administrators of the Parco di Monza to meet its users.