On the banks of the Cervaro River, the Regional Nature Park includes 320 hectares of lowland forest featuring species such as white poplar (Populus Alba), elm (Ulmus Minor) and ash (Fraxinus Oxycarpa). It is home to interesting nesting bird species and is visited by large numbers of migratory species. The area includes the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Incoronata, which, legend has it, stands on the exact spot where the Madonna once appeared.  St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Vincenzo Ferreri and St. Gerard all came here to pray before the "Holy Wood" of the oak (now kept under the altar in the crypt of the Sanctuary). They were joined in 1916 by Padre Pio da Pietrelcina and, more recently, Pope John Paul II. The forest has been a Regional Nature Park since May 15 2006.