The territory of the Leader Plus area includes 22 municipalities ("comuni") of the Oltrepò Pavese Mountain Community (Comunità Montana) and it's located in the south-west of Lombardy, in the hill/mountain area between Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia Romagna.
It's boundaries are pointed out by quick morphological and altimetrics changes, by the kind of ground and rural features.
The area, with its 18000 inhabitants, is 487,32 square Kilometers wide and includes 22 municipalities spread in four valleys: Val Coppa, Val Tidone, Valle Versa and Valle Staffora.
All the boundaries follow the crest of mountains and ridges between altimetric heights ranging from 300 to 1700 meters of Mount Lesima and Mount Chiappo.
The area is crossed by watercourses that flow from south to north like a fan; they're mostly rivers or small courses.
The landscape was shaped by the erosive action of the waters.
The landscape changes continuously: cultivated hill sides inserted in woods with chestnuts and oaks alternates with sunnyglades, woods of beeches and pine-trees and wide meadows creating beautiful landscapes on the mountains.
Vegetation consists of grapevines, forage, cereals, orchards and a few woods on the hills. Woods and meadows are prevalent beyond 800 mt. of altitude.
The position of the area is strategical because is passage to higher Appenines for Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna.
Its mountains are an important social-economical factor and are rich with historical and traditional evidences.
