The Lago Nord park, also called Cava Nord, is in Paderno Dugnano, north of Milan, and is part of the larger Grugnotorto park. It was created by reclaiming a sand and gravel quarry: in 1999 it received in Strasbourg the European Community award for the best environmental recovery of a quarry, and in 2003 the Piazza Mercanti award of the Milan Chamber of Commerce for environmental protection.
What to see
The park has two small lakes separated by a tree-lined walkway. The first is for sport fishing for carp, trout, pike and other freshwater species; the second is left to develop more naturally and wildly, as a home for resident and migrating birds. The water comes from the Villoresi canal and flows into the basin over a small artificial waterfall.
The overall design was drawn up in 1985 by the architect Maurice Munir Cerasi, who until 2001 also oversaw its individual parts, such as the waterfall, the anglers' bar, the open-air theatre, the viewpoint and the Resegone lawn; from 1995 the architect Enrico Cerasi also worked on the park.
Visiting
There are four entrances: Porta Serviane, Porta Luigi Tonelli, Porta Cascina Uccello and Porta Grugnotorto. The park is near the Paderno Dugnano exit of the Milan-Meda expressway. Opening times and fishing rules should be checked with the municipality.
Our editors' tip
In the district of Palazzolo, inside the Grugnotorto park, runs a stretch of the Villoresi canal with the cycle path linking the Ticino to the Adda.
