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NATURE
The Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi cover two regions,
Tuscany and Romagna. The Park protects the best preserved part of
the Italian Apennine and features precious forests for the whole
Europe, as it is an ancient model of the relationship between man
and nature.
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36.400
hectares of forest, a green landscape between the ridge which divides
Tuscany from Romagna, sulcated with rivers towards the Adriatic Sea
and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The highest peaks of the Park are the Falterona
mountain, where you find the source of the river Arno (1654 metres)
and the Falco mountain (1658 metres). The park features many Centri
Visita, which are actually an info point where you find everything
that you might need such as accommodation, spas and excursions.
The variation of flora and fauna is due to the vast range of
altitudes and micro-climates of the park. But the most common plant
is the white fir-tree, which branches reach 30 metres. The tree which
features an important value for the Camaldolesian monks, has always
been the richness of the Casentino since the times when the wood from
the fir-tree was used for the building of ships in Lisa and Leghorn
in the 16th century. The beeches are also secular trees, which cover
the mountains to the ridges, while there is a vast selection of mixed
forests with white maple, holm-oak, cherry, ash, holly, yew, lime,
chestnut and turkey oak trees. There are thousands of plants represented
in the park. Some of them very rare, which make the Casentino a botanic
paradise. Some parts of the park are off limits in order to eliminate
any human intervention. In the Riserva Naturale Integrale di Sasso
Fratino, an area with almost no human presence, the nature has been
left alone, to take care of itself. As the first park in Italy, the
Riserva Naturale Integrale di Sasso Fratino was founded in 1959 and
is since then totally protected. The other Riserva Integrale in the
park is the Riserva Integrale di Pietra, a part of the Grand Duke's
forest where the nature is absolutely wild.
Another way to get to know the heritage of the Foreste Casentine is
to visit the Botanic gardens of Valbonella, at Corniolo, the arboretum
"Carlo Siemoni" at Badia Prataglia and the Nursery Cerrata
of Camaldoli which can be visited with a guide.
There are lots of animals living in the Park, which represent
the biggest and most varied fauna of the northern Apennine, with 160
species of vertebrates of which 80 are birds, 40 mammals, 30 between
amphibians, reptiles and fishes. The wolf has come back to the Casentino
which represents its ideal habitat, with lots of forests, preys and
hidden dens, and without the presence of man. He roe deer was never
extinguished and it is not hard to get to see one. The deer was reintroduced
at the end of the 19th century and is now a very common animal in
the forests. Rain deers and moufflons complete the category of big
mammals, but there are also foxes, polecats, beech-martens, weasels,
badgers, loirs and hares. One of the most important animal is without
any doubt the eagle which makes nests in the mountains. To better
get to know the animals in the park you can visit the Museo della
flora e della fauna. At Ridracoli you find the Museo dei Mammiferi,
while at Camaldoli, Campigna and Badia Prataglia you find the Forest
museums. The spirituality of the Casentine forests has left important
traces in the different masterpieces in the park, such as the Hermitage
of Camaldoli, which is still today a point of reference for pilgrims
and foreign visitors, located in the middle of the fir-tree forest.
Another important Sanctuary is the one of della Verna, a shelter in
the forest where St Francis received the stigmata. Both the spiritual
value of the monastery and the location in the wild forest, attract
visitors from all over the world. The park also features many archaeological
sites and museums such as the Temple Area of the Pieve at Socana,
close to Caste Focognano, the Etruscan settlement at Masseto, close
to Pratovecchio, the remains of the Roman villa close to Poppi and
the lake Lago degli Idoli in Falterona. There is also a permanent
archaeological exhibition which analyses the human presence in the
Casentine forests with the presentation of research and excavations.
The best way to visit the park is to go trekking, taking one
of the trails which cover over 3000 km. You can also visit the park
on the horse-back or on the bike, with snow-shoes and skies in the
winter. The trails and mule-tracks which once were the connection
between Tuscany and Romagna are today signed out and indicated on
the maps that are available at the Centri Visite. An interesting initiative
is the unique itineraries called Sentieri Natura (Trails in the Nature)
and actually represent a guided excursion along the itinerary.
The thematic excursions feature the white fir-tree, the valley and
the waterfall of Dante, the beech forest, the forest, the traces of
man. The trail dedicated to the white fir-tree starts at Campigna
and follows the most suggestive fir-tree forests of the park. The
trail dedicated to the Valle dell'Acquacheta and the waterfalls of
Dante starts at Acquacheta, while the track regarding the beech forests
starts at Capanno, a hamlet to Badia Prataglia, and goes up to the
marvellous valley of the stream Archiano d'Isloa. The track Alberi
e Boschi (Trees and Forests) goes around the Hermitage of Camaldoli,
a monastery which was the first to conduct an environmental policy.
From Fiumicello you begin the exploration of the traces of man, to
understand how the peasants in the Casentino lived until 50 years
ago, among mills, churches and stone houses.
The itinerary from Castagno d'Andrea features the same concept
and documents the relationship between man and the chestnut tree,
which was an important resource for the locals. The trail which passes
the Monastery della Verna reaches the top of the Monte Penna, while
the track departing from Tredozio crosses the Valle del Tremazzo,
one of the wildest valleys in the park. To end with we have the track
from the Diga di Ridracoli to the refugio (shelter) of Ca di Sopra
which offers the possibility to admire the marvellous views and many
of the animals which live in the Casentine forests. An emotional itinerary
is the one called "I sentieri della Libetà" (the
Freedom Trails) which remember the cruel years of the Partisan resistance
against the Nazis. There are sign which illustrate the disposition
of the German and troops and the Partisan brigades. The itinerary
starts at Bisernio and San Paolo.
The best way to get information of the beauties of the Park is to
visit the so-called Centri Visita (Info points) where you will get
all the information that you need for your holiday or entertainment.
You find the main Centro Visita at Badia Prataglia, which features
the relationship between man and nature. Here you find interesting
information of the handicraft and the working of wood and it is from
here that you access the arboretum "Carlo Siemoni", the
mispronounced name of the Bohemian engineer who designed it during
the period in which he worked on the reforestation of the Casentino
for the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Geology and spas are the main activities
of the Centro Visita of Bagno di Romagna, which was an important thermal
resort already during the Roman period, while the spirituality is
underscored in the Centro in Chiusi della Verna, where the relationship
between the monks and the forest is explained. In the Centro of Londa
you find workshops and models to illustrate the secular relationship
between man and the landscape. The main theme of the Centro Visite
of Premilcuore is the fauna which lives in the forests, the clearings
and the springs of the park. The history of the old Romagna is explained
in the Centro of San Benedetto in Alpe, while the forest is the main
actor in the Centro of Santa Sofia, which also features the Botanic
gardens of Valbonella and the Centro di Educazione Ambientale of Cornoio.
The water, which is abundant in the Casentino, is the main
characteristic of the Centro Visita of Stia. The roe deer, the mascot
of the park, can be seen at the Centro Visita of Tredozio. The mountains
of Falterona is the theme at the Centro of Castagno d'Andrea, where
you find info about the mountain where the river Arno has its source.
To complete the tourist offer of the Casentino we have to mention
the spas. The spas of Bagno di Romagna have been known since the Romans,
though they are certainly more comfortable today thanks to the equipped
establishments. Clays, special treatments, therapies which exploit
the alkaline and sulphurous properties of the water make the spas
of Bagno di Romagna an extraordinary beauty farm in an uncontaminated
environment. At Stia you find the modern Parco Termale where the water
from the Falterona mountain is exploited. Choose between massages,
water low in minerals and clays for a relaxing holiday in the middle
of the park.
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