Nature Guide - Hiking

THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE

An escape from the stress and noise of everyday life is an interesting alternative suggestion for a select public, combining art and history with notions of zoology, botany, geology, local traditions and - why not? - stories and legends of the regional woods.

Hiking in Emilia Romagna

HERE ARE FEW OF THE 30 NATURE PARKS OF THE REGION OF EMILIA ROMAGNA

Every land houses different species of living organisms, flora and fauna depending on different environments. This variety of species is called biological diversity and it is closely linked to the ecological diversity, namely, the variability of the ecosystem to which the groups of organisms belong. The bio-diversity is caused and explained by numerous present and historical reasons: the clime, the geological structure, the morphology, the differences of latitude and altitude, the human action. It is part of the collective heritage and it bears an extraordinary scientific, ecological, economic, cultural, and social value. The 30 parks of this region offer an extraordinary Nature Experience.

PARCO NATURALE DEI GESSI BOLOGNESI E DEI CALANCHI DELL'ABBADESSA

It is situated on the hills surrounding Bologna, and it is characterized by a series of gypsum outcrops from which a very interesting karsts system and the suggestive Calanchi dell'Abbadessa have derived. Although they have been damaged by the past mining activities, the gessi bolognesi represent one of the main naturalistic points of interest of the area, with dolines, closed valleys, and cliffs shaping the landscape and populated by Mediterranean species and species living at higher altitudes.

PARCO NATURALE DEL DELTA DEL PO

It is the largest among the Regional Parks, and it covers a very important part of the territory of the Emilia-Romagna Region: in the North from the Po di Goro, it develops including the whole historical delta of the river Po and the mouths of some Apennine rivers like the river Reno, the river Lamone, the Fiumi Uniti, the Bevano, and brackish wetlands situated along the Adriatic coast and the near hinterland like the Sacca di Goro, the Commacchio Valleys, the "Piallasse" of Ravenna, the Salines of Cervia, the inner wetlands of the Campotto Valleys, woods and pinewoods like the Bosco della Mesola and the Pinewoods of San Vitale. It is also rich in many important monuments: the Abbey of Pomposa, St. Apollinare in Classe, the "chiaviche" (monumental water locks), and the historical town centers of Mesola, Comacchio, Ravenna, and Cervia.

PARCO NAZIONALE DELLE FORESTE CASENTINESI

This protected area lies along the Apennine ridge in Toscana and Romagna. Its woods are considered among the largest and the best preserved in Italy, and house a rich variety of flora and fauna, such as wolves and golden eagles among predators, and many species of ungulates. The forests and a number of natural habitats of the area are rich in traces left by man during the centuries: by walking in the Park, tourists can see small villages with stone houses, mule tracks, and above all the two charming sanctuaries of Camaldoli and La Verna.

GIARDINI DEL CASONCELLO

Not far from Bologna tucked in the valley of River Savena is a lush garden of fruit, flowers and aromatic herbs created through the imaginative effort of the owner, the garden changes magically wondrously with the seasons as she transforms summer's harvest into fragrant dried bouquets, liqueurs, and delicious foods. This fruit and vegetable garden is filled with a more than 140 varieties of perennial wild and cultivated herbs. There are 100 varieties of aromatic plants, 150 varieties of flowering species, including 70 types of roses with some strains dating back many decades. Half day guided tours conclude with late morning or afternoon tea and homemade antipasti, breads, jams and desserts served outside in the garden!!

PARCO DELL'ALTO APPENNINO REGGIANO

Parco dell'Alto Appennino Reggiano or Parco del Gigante according to the current term in use, The protected environment, typical of the Alto Appennino Emiliano, has a great naturalistic value thanks to its scarce anthropical and artificial elements. Among the most interesting elements, there are several evidences of the whurmian glaciation to be mentioned, from the morphology (cirques, lakes, arches, morainic deposits) to the flora, and to the relict alpine fauna. As far as the woods are concerned, there are precious beech woods and particularly valuable reforestations with conifers.

L'OASI DI ONFERNO

A distinctive characteristic of this park is a limited stretch of Messinian evaporite rock with karst features and surrounding relict wood. There is much forest vegetation, secondary meadows with a range of different plant varieties according to the substrate and shrubberies planted to restore the forest coverage. The area houses plant species of great rarity in the region such as Staphylea pinnata, Phyllitis scolopendrium, Polypodium australe, etc.. The karst system of the Grotta di Orfento is one of the most important sites in the region for troglobite insects.