The Barboj Park is a magical place located in Rivalta, between Lesignano de’ Bagni and Traversetolo, on the first hills at 350 meters above sea level in the province of Parma. The Park of the Barboj of Rivalta owes its name to the “mumbles” that accompany the emission of methane gas and mud from the subsoil, through many small volcanoes up to 1 m high that make this park unique in its kind. It is a curious geological phenomenon that for many centuries has captured the attention of people.
In the past the water erupted by the mud volcanoes was considered medicinal, it is no coincidence that the mud was collected and then used as ointments and until 1600 their use extended into the culinary field, using them as cooking salt. Among the clayey formations, herbaceous cultures such as junipers and sparse woodlands are born, while the spring phenomenon of salty mud rarely induces formations of halophytes (typical plants present in saline or alkaline soils) that constitute the salient aspect of a hill, sometimes wild and cut by steep slopes, as well as populated by a rich fauna and in particular hornbeam, among which there are many birds of prey.
Also the fauna component of the “wild” environment is very particular, in fact in the area there are invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, there is also the luscengola (Chalcides chalcides), typical saurian grassy clay, certainly there are lizards and amphibians typical of hilly lakes such as frogs and newts.
