Walker - 1967 - A geography of Italy

PART I I I : REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY
consists o f little more than the foothills o f the Pre-Alps. Southwards the moraines
shade gently into the coarse fluvio-glacial deposits o f the upper plain into
which the major rivers have incised themselves as they leave the hilly margin;
the low swellings o f the outwash fans reveal themselves clearly in cuttings along
the railways and autostrade. Topographically the transition from the upper to
the lower plain is imperceptible; the essential change is best reflected in the soil
texture and in the hydrology. The upper part o f the bassa coincides with the
fontanili zone; towards the Po and its left-bank tributaries the finer diluvial
deposits shade without serious break into the modern floodplains.
'ALPS '
Fig. 2p. Block diagram of the Lombardy plain showing the physiographic zones
Although technical progress has blurred their outlines, the physiographical
zones identified above are still recognizably reflected in the agricultural economy
and in the pattern o f settlement. As in Piedmont much o f the morainic hill zone
is occupied by woodland and heath (brughiere); the rest is devoted to small-scale
mixed farming with cereals, fodder crops and fruit dominant in the land-use. In
many households farming is a part-time occupation for the younger members of
the family who find employment in local factories. In the non-morainic hilly zone
viticulture assumes some importance. On the coarse deposits o f the upper plain
most o f the surface is still not irrigated although east o f the Adda, where the
upper plain is narrower and the water table is high, there are a large number of
local schemes based on minor rivers and wells. A t one time the land-use was
monopolized by wheat and maize, but potatoes, grass and clover have been
widely introduced into the rotations and the production o f meat and milk is on
the increase. Over 6o% o f the cultivated area is farmed in units o f over lo hectares
and large properties are common. The latter provide one o f the characteristic
features o f the settlement pattern in the cone, a group o f farm buildings
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