L'acqua, un elemento di ricchezza per il Parco Regionale Lombardo della Valle del Ticino

The article examines the multiple uses of the waters of the Ticino river that have been made by human societies, which have succeeded during time along the Ticino valley and in its adjacent areas. On the one hand, this analysis shows a large supply of surface water and groundwater persisted over the centuries, and secondly, reflected the great skill in making multiple uses of water resources by the local population. The result was a "hydraulic civilization" where water is the pivot of a complex spatial articulation in which the same water is, each time, a good to watch, to admire, to to cross, to drink, to take pictures of, to protect, to manage, to groom and much more. Ticino river continues still today, with its water, to be an extraordinary natural resource and landscape giving rise to knowledge and deeds, attracting visitors, paying for multifunctional use by man. However, we must not forget that the river contributes to achieving delicate balances, which are therefore not necessarily taken for granted or perennials. The fragility of the waters of the Ticino river , with all its environmental, economic, social, cultural and behavioural implications must not be underestimated and must maintain the existing policies for safeguarding this area.