The Vernome Fishpond in the upper part of the Ticino Park is the last surviving example of a fishpond on the River Ticino.

Up to a few decades ago, the stretch of the River Ticino flowing through the district of Castelletto Ticino and nearby villages was studded with traditional fishponds, designed to catch the fish from Lake Maggiore that were swept into the river as it left the lake.

The Vernome Fishpond, once used primarily for eel fishing, has the structure typical of all fishponds: the two embankments have a classic V shape open towards the lake end, so as to channel as much water and thus as many fish as possible; the net at the outlet is constructed of a kind of wickerwork made of strong, flexible branches from trees like chestnuts, hazel and to a lesser extent willow. This intricate construct was held in place by equidistant poles, called “pasun”, consisting of the trunks of acacia trees split into quarters.

Although no longer in use, the Vernome fishpond continues to be an interesting historical and naturalistic feature that you can visit walking along the river bank or cycling along one of the routes leading to the pond near the Cimin picnic area.