The Fanes-Senes-Braies Natural Park

On the highest peaks it is possible to find the Alpine hare and the white partridge while among the most beautiful grasses you can admire here there surely is the famous edelweiss. Staying on the Braies lake rocks you can watch several ibexes and chamoises  that have found here their ideal environment.

The Braies lake

Some flamingos in the Trapani Natural Reserve

This natural reserve is made up by salt pyramids that represent one of the most important economical sources of this territory.

The salt pyramids

Visiting this park you can also observe the typical mills that are still used to mince the salt even if  they are now provided with more modern machines that apply the same function.

The Natural Reserve mills

Another place that deserves your attention is the Salt Museum (Museo del Sale): here you can see typical tools used for the salt extraction and some panels illustrating all the steps of this specific manufacture.

The Salt Museum

Crossing by foot a part of this river is a very unique experience even if you can do that only from May to September when the water level is low. If you would like to do this excursion you should wear wading boots and breathable waders both for your safety and for facing the very cold river water that is frozen even in summer. During the rest of the year you have to stop at the entry of the gorges. You will be surely surprised by this natural spectacle: the black and prismatic gorges create striking reflections and shadows zones when the sunlight arrives on their surface.

The basalt gorges of the River Park of the Alcantara

You can reach this small island through a long series of steps and narrow streets placed on the Tauro hill. Following this path you will walk down from an height of 200 metres to the sea level arriving to the point where this island is connected to the dry land by a thin sandy strip. 

Excursions can be done from spring until the beginning of autumn. In this Reserve there are several sea birds like the herring gull, the belted kingfisher, the peregrine falcon, the cormorant and the grey heron. Observing the Isola Bella luxuriant vegetation you will note a striking alternation of spontaneous Mediterranean scrub and rare exotic grasses brought here by the original owner of this park: the eccentric Miss Travelyan.

Also the Isola Bella sea bed is incredibly beautiful for its naturalistic value because of the presence of many organisms, of different algae types, of coloured fishes and of several shellfishes.

How to arrive to Isola Bella

Leaving from Pirandello Street you can go up by cable-car until Mazzarò. Once there, you should go on through the main road: the Reserve entry is 200 metres far from there. If you like walking, you can cross Pirandello street until you reach the overlook called “Isola Bella“: here you will find the beginning of a path made up by steps and narrow streets that will directly lead you to the entry of the Reserve.

Isola Bella

The Pollino Massif has the highest peaks of the Park: Serra Dolcedorme (2267 m), Pollino Mount (2248 m), Serra del Prete (2181 m), Serra delle Ciavole (2127 m) and Serra di Crispo (2053 m). Among these last two surveys, nearly 2000 meters, you find n the Great Door (Grande Porta) that leads to plans of Pollino, the most famous and evocative plateau of high-altitude surrounded by the most ancient species of Pino loricato , that dominate an area rich in rivers and streams – Raganello, Frido, Peschiera, Sarmento.

The plan of Campotenese, to a lower rate, separates the Massif of  Pollino from the Orsomarso Mountains that rise, dense in vegetation, in the south west area of the park, towards the Tyrrhenian sea: the Cozzo del Pellegrino (1987 m), La Mula (1935 m), La Montea (1825 m), Monte La Caccia (1744), Monte Palanuda (1632 m), identify an area of absolute integrity and beauty. Here there are valleys carved by unspoiled rivers – Argentino, Abatemarco, Lao, Rosa – which, through leaps and falls, giving rise to a landscape of considerable charm. The presence of spectacular monoliths or particular forms of rocks, such as Pietra Campanara, Pietra Pertusata and Tavola dei Briganti, increase the strength of an impressive natural scenery among the most charming of the south.

In the northern part of the park rises, isolated, the Alpi Mount (1900 m) which is different from the Pollino Massif and Orsomarso Mountains for the particularity of its geological origin. More to the west, there is the La Spina Mount.  The rocks that make up the territory are of limestone-dolomite  nature of sedimentary origin. The submarine volcanic activity, is still reflected in the lava rocks of Timpa, Murge and Timpa of Pietrassasso, sites that are a rare and charming “geological garden”.

Other natural events have further characterized the morphology of the territory and, among the determinant factors, there is the erosive action of water on the limestone rocks that gave rise to karst phenomena, both on surface and underground. Dolines belong to first case, while the numerous galleries and deep chasms in the depth of the rock to the second.

Grand Paradise Park

The history of the park is linked to the protection of the ibex, which, already in 1856, the King Vittorio Emanuele II had saved from extinction , declaring these mountains as Royal Hunting Reserve. The king had also created a specialized body of guards and built a road network for the protection of fauna and for excursions.
In 1920, the king gave the reserve to the Italian State, to create a national park; two years later, the National Park of Gran Paradise was established.

The Grand Paradise National Park protects an area characterized by an environment predominantly of alpine type. The mountains of the group have been previously modelled and carved by great glaciers and streams till to create the existing valleys. The group of Grand Paradise is made up of rocks of varying age and origin. In particular there is a set of laminated gneiss (metamorphic rocks derived from granites, which are still preserved here and there).

FLORA
In the forests of the valley the the most frequent trees are the larches, mixed with red fir, pines and rarely white pines. As you climb along the sides, trees leave the area to the vast alpine pastures, full of flowers in late spring. Climbing further up to 4061 meters of the Grand Paradise, rocks and glaciers characterize the landscape.
Among the rare flowers of the park there are: the Potentilla Pensylvanica, which grows in dry meadows above 1,300 meters; the Astragalus Alopecurus, located only in Aosta valley; the Aethionema thomasianum; the Linnaea borealis, glacial relic still present in the woods of conifers; the Paradisea liliastrum, the beautiful white lily who gave the name to the historic Paradisia garden.

Aethionema Thomasianum

White Lily

FAUNA
The rich fauna of the park includes many alpine species. It is difficult to make trips without sighting  animals, even at short distances. The ibex, the symbol of the park, is pretty confident and is frequently encountered in the pasture: the males, recognizable by the long curved horns, live in small groups, while females from shorter horns, remain with their young. Also the chamois is common, but much more shy and difficult to observe. Other protagonist of the park is the marmot, nice rodent that digs long tunnels to escape from dangers and prepare winter hibernation. Among birds you find the golden eagle, visible when flies over the “territories for hunting”, and many small passerines. Recent acquisitions have been: the bearded vulture, a large vulture disappeared in 1912 and returned to the Alps for an international project, and the lynx, a splendid small predator.

Ibex

The park has three visitor centers, respectively, in the villages of Cogne, Valsavarenche and  Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, where you can discover in every season, in-depth learning, the various aspects of the protected nature.

How to arrive there

By car: through the highway A5 Torino-Aosta, at exit Aosta Ovest-Saint-Pierre, continuing then through the principal way SS No 26 in the direction to reach Aosta Sarre or direction to Courmayeur for all other villages of Grand Paradise.

By train: the main train station is in Aosta (Torino-Chivasso-Aosta line orMilano-Chivasso-Aosta line). There are stops also at: Sarre, Saint-Pierre Villeneuve, Arvier (line Aosta-Pré-Saint-Didier).

By plane: the nearest airports are Aosta, Torino-Caselle, Milan-Malpensa, Milan-Linate, Geneva.

Central Alps

The Stelvio National Park was established by Law No 740 on the 24th of April 1935, but after several years of difficult planning and insufficient funding from the state, in 1977 it has expanded its borders, bringing the protected area from 95,000 to 135,000 hectares.

Since 1995, the management of the Stelvio National Park is entrusted to a consortium formed by the State, by the Lombardy Region and the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The birth of the Consortium had the aim to harmonize the need of a unitary management, the aspirations of local people to safeguard their traditions and the suggestions and expectations of local and environmental organizations existing in the territory.

The wide extent of the territory of the Park determines the presence of a wide range of environments. The variation of altitude from 600m. to almost 4000m. above sea level allows the presence of about two thousand species of flora and forests of various kinds. There are few accessible areas, but also thick and varied forest of conifers, broad plateaus, extensive meadows, alpine lakes, wetlands, impervious rocky ridges, perpetual glaciers.

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The vegetation is divided into several sections that follow each other changing appearance and composition in accordance with quota and other environmental parameters. To lower height there are various associations of hardwood, but much more widespread are the conifers, represented by woods of red fir and, to higher levels, by larch often associated with pine.
In the area of brushes you find principally the presence of dwarf pine, rhododendron, juniper, blueberry, green alder, while at higher levels, there are pastures with different grass species.

Blueberry

Climbing up the slopes of the park in spring-summer period, you move from the rich meadows flowering of the valley to the less known but important flora of the undergrowth and then tothe most typical alpine flora.
There are numerous officinal species, while among the rare phytogeography plant species we remember the Twinflower (Linnea borealis) and Twayblade (Listera Cordata).

Twinflowers

Twayblade

There are many species typical of wetland and peaty areas, in particular the Eriophorum Scheuchzeri At higher levels the vegetation presents tundra characteristics with green islands spaced out by detritus  among white snowy masses, on which there are species such as  the Alchemilla pentaphyllea.

FAUNA

There are about thirty species of mammals, 131 species of birds, reptiles and amphibians, some species of fishes and many invertebrates.
The most significant appearances are those of deers and roes and, at higher levels, those of chamois and ibex. Moreover you find marmots, squirrels, mountain hares, ermines, martens, stone martens, badgers and foxes. It’s very particular the presence of capercaillies, black cocks and white patridges.
Another important presence is that of golden eagle, the symbol of the park. For a total immersion in the environment you have the possibility to choose between a great number of itineraries, properly reported, from the easiest for children and elderly persons to the most challenging for experienced mountaineers.

Golden Eagle

The lives of men and animals melts in this area where there are many mountain villages. Tourism, sheep farming and agriculture are parts of economy of the Alps.
Also near the highest peaks, hikers can find mountain chalets and shelters where rest in, centers organized to observe animals in their natural habitat and marked trails to learn more about the Park.

How to arrive there

Side of Lombardy

By car: through the main road SS 36 from Milan to Colico continuing through the road SS 38 to Bormio. Another access road is the SS 42, which crosses the Camonica Valley to Pontedilegno.

By train: fom Milan to Tirano. Hence the localities of the park are accessible by bus. From Brescia using the railway line Brescia – Edolo and then with the bus to Pontedilegno and surrounding areas.

Side of Alto Adige

By car: it is convenient the Highway of Brennero (A 22) to Bolzano taking after the main road SS 38.

By train: always from Merano to Bolzano. Hence the localities of the park are served by bus lines.

Side of  Trentino

By car: from Trento through the Highway A 22 using the San Michele all’Adige-Mezzacorona exit, running  along the main roads SS 43 to Cles and then the SS 42 along the valley of the Sun, to the Passo del Tonale.

By train: from Trento to Malè through the electric rail and then by bus to the valleys of the park.

Within its perimeter, the top of Big Horn is raised 2914 m above sea level, in fact it is the highest peak of Appennino Mountains, overlooking several other peaks that surround it, however, all above 2,000 meters. The beautiful conformations of limestone give to the eastern side of the massive, an aspect similar to Dolomites, where the mountains rise with their size directly from the hills.

Big Horn

The western slope presents a Tibetan aspect, with extended highlands, essential shapes profoundly formed by erosion of ancient glaciers and large expanses covered by grasslands, such as those that characterize the solemn landscape of Campo Imperatore. In both sides, steep slopes, steep ridges, pyramidal peaks, glacial cirques, characterize the high altitudes where there is the presence of the Calderone glacier which is at once the only of Appennino and the most southern of the European continent.

The Gran Sasso Mountain has an Alpine footprint, with major peaks and a myriad of paths to high altitudes, from where, in particularly clear days, it’s possibile to see the Adriatic Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea and a large part of central Italy. Full of woods and streams, waterfalls and lakes, on the border between Abruzzo, Marche and Lazio, in one of the most secret and hidden corners in Italy, the mountains of Laga have a more gentle and undulating aspect.

Throughout the park you find a series of villages from the Middle Ages, often perfectly preserved with the original structures and in part still inhabited, that give these places a strong capacity for suggestion.

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The flora of the National Park of Gran Sasso and Laga Mounts is very diverse and change radically the accprfong to area where we are. Going to the eastern part of the Gran Sasso chain and from the Aquila side you find a totally different environment from that of the North West. In fact, in the east area the forests are present only at relatively low heights and consist mainly of pine and black oaks (the area of  Castel Del Monte, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Barisciano and San Pio delle Camere). Higher there are only pastures.

Only in the area of Fonte Vetica there is a small section with some pines and birches. In the high area and the plain of Campo Imperatore, soil contains only pastures. The plants that we find are oaks, wild apple trees, many junipers (protected plant), dogwoods, gentian (very abundant on the Gran Sasso, especially in the Aquila side and that is a highly protected species but also collected from the premises to produce the famous Gentian liqueur).

Gentian

In the north area of the Gran Sasso, we find mainly beech trees with endless forests that make the area very picturesque, especially in the area of Pietracamela, a village situated at the foot of the Little Horn, reachable only trhough the main road 80. Among the trees there are also Holly, Maple Mount and several areas with White Spruce. There are some species of plants that deserve a particular mention: Herbaceous Willow, Edelweiss of Appennino (quite common on the Gran Sasso, representing a a protected species), Butterflower, Primerose,  Alpine Poppy,  Anklebone, Anemone of Appennino.

Edelweiss of Appennino

In the area of Campo Imperatore and that of Monte Cristo, in the autumn, it’s easy to find the mushrooms (Agaricus campestris). There are also many other species of fungi such as the edible mushroom that populates the park.

FAUNA

The most interesting species of the Park is represented by Chamois of Abruzzo, exclusive of Apennine mountains, which until the last century had in Gran Sasso its stronghold. In the territory of the park live other large herbivores such as the Deer and the Roe, and their predator par excellence, the Apennine Wolf, reconstituting small flocks. Ultimately there are also sporadic appearances of  Brown Bear. Among the other mammals there are the Marten, the Wild Cat, the Rate, the Faina, the Polecat, and several other species of Rodents. At higher levels, the Arvicola of snow, a small rodent, arrived with the last ice age and there remained as relict glacial.

Among birds you find rare birds of prey such as the Golden Eagle, the Astore, the Peregrine Falcon, and the Owl Eagle. Pastures and lower areas host species, perhaps less glaring, but extremely interesting from the biogeographical point of view and in rapid decline in Europe.

The grasslands are the ideal habitat for Viper, a small snake that feeds on insects. On the Laga mountains is very localized the presence of Frog and Triton, which throughout the central-southern Apennines, in addition to the Park, can be observed in a small area of Calabria. The biogeographical interest of the Park is confirmed by the presence of invertebrate fauna such as insects and other groups rich in endemic entities, sometimes with affinities with the Alpine fauna and that of  of Eastern Europe mountains.

How to arrive there

By car:

- Through the Highway 24 Rome – L’Aquila – Teramo (Assergi exit to the side of L’ Aquila and San Gabriel – Colledara for that of Teramo). Then through the main road SS 17bis you reach the departure for the excursions.

- From L’Aquila and Teramo through the main road SS 80 that runs through the Valley of Vomano, on the side of Laga Mountains of Abruzzo

-From Rome and the Adriatic coast through the main road 4 SS Salaria towards slopes of Lazio and Marche.

-The south-west slope is covered along the SS 17 from L’Aquila to Navelli, then moving to Pepoli

- The south-east slope can be reached through the carriageway of the valley of Pescara

-Through the Highway A  14 you reach the slope of Laga Mountains of Marche.

By train: the nearest railway stations are L’Aquila (lines of Terni – Rieti, L’Aquila, Sulmona) and Teramo (line Giulianova – Teramo), then by coach.

Because of the karst phenomena, waters often flow in underground beds and rise again downstream, sometimes even outside the territory of the park. Inside the park there are two lake basins: the artificial lake barrea fed by Sangro river and the lake Vivo of natural origin. The latter is located in a depression of tectonic origin that is about 1600 m above sea level. Being fueled in part by its own sources and partly by the melting snow, its size follow seasonal trends.
The territory of the Park in the past was shaped by the phenomena of karst and glacial periods, today witnessed by the presence of glacial cirques in the upper valleys, moraine deposits, caves, cracks and dolines. The rocks of the park are mostly of calcareous nature. In the area of the Camosciara there is the dolomia, a type of rock which, being waterproof, allows water to flow to the surface giving rise to picturesque waterfalls and pools of water.

In the most important findings, such as the Marsicano Mount, the Big Mountain, the chain of Petroso and Meta, the Greek Mount, signs of major events in the history of the Earth, are sculpted, in visible form. They have affected the morphology of the territory up to present day. Where 160 million years ago, mighty coral reefs  were  submerged in warm tropical seas, today we can admire the imposing mass. Rainwater penetrate into the bowels of the mountains, get rich with precious minerals and form large emergencies located at the base of the mountain. Significant and suggestive are the sources of the Volturno, near Rocchetta  of Volturno, or those in high Fibreno Post Ciociaria, which forme aquatic habitats of rare natural value.

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The flora of the park, is so rich and interesting, that has always been a subject of study. In  total, you can list about 2,000 species of higher plants that is without considering mosses, lichens, algae and fungi.
Among the floristic peculiarities, stands out the Iris (Iris Marsica) an endemism of the park, which grows only in certain locations and that flowers between May and June.

Iris Marsica

There are also numerous and colorful orchids, of which the most beautiful, largest and rarest is certainly represented by the Venus’s shoe or Pianella della Madonna (Cypripedium calceolus), which blooms in the furthest corners, between May and June.

Another rarity is undoubtedly represented by black pine of Barrea Villetta (Pinus nigra), a relict species probably dating to the Tertiary; it is a unique variety of the park, located in some areas of Camosciara and Val Fondillo. Among the spontaneous conifers, there are also the mugo pine (Pinus mugo), a glacial relict that occupies the vegetation area between the beech forest and the prairie of altitude, localized mainly in the same area.

Another peculiarity of the park is represented by a small station of birches (Betula pendula), located at Barrea in a place called Dark Coppo. It is a relict species, typical of quaternary glacial epochs, which testifies the cold vegetation once predominant on the Appennino Mountains.

Betula Pendula

But the predominant plant landscape of the park consists of beech forests: the scientific name of this species, Fagus sylvatica recalls the spontaneous origin of this species on the Apennine mountains of Italy, where the presence of beech trees dating back tens of centuries ago . The beech tree is the most common of the park and usually grows between 900 and 1800 meters of altitude. The beech forests occupy more than 60% of the surface of the park and help to create a landscape rich in colors that vary with the passing of the seasons.

Shape and size of beech trees vary with the altitude, age and soil fertility conditions. The abundant litter present in the beech forest plays an important role: during the summer it prevents the soil  from drying, while in winter protects it from frost. Furthermore, decomposing through the action of insects and microorganisms, helps to enrich the soil of humus.

The beech trees manifest a variety of issues: from squat and age-old trees, to high and straight trunks.
These trees, if they could talk, would tell long and complex stories, made of heavy intervention by man, with cuts and irrational logging occurred since the most remote epochs. But the most difficult period for these forests was one of the so-called ‘economic miracle’, when there were cuts of industrial type. Through the use of resources and latest technology, forests suffered a dangerous destruction that didn’t benefit local people and culture of the forest.

Beyond the limit of the forests you can meet the Dwarf Juniper (Juniperus communis nana) and wrecks of the northern moorland as the bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and Ursina grape (ArctostaphyIos grape-ursl), revealing the presence, in past times, of a top layer of  coniferous vegetation.  The grasslands of altitude – which together with meadows and glades cover over 30% of the total area of the park – are typical of the upper mountains and occupy ridges and summits at around 1900-2000 meters. Here the vegetation is composed primarily of several species of Gramineae and Ciperacee which accompany in the warm season the greater yellow gentian and many other species: gentians, primroses, cyclamen, violets, anemones, sciliar, lilies, orchids, buttercups.

Are particularly showy, the Red Lily (Lilium bulbiferum croceum), typical of sunny and dry slopes, the Martagon Lily (Lilium martagon), which grows in the less dense beech woods, the Aquilegia (Aquilegia ottonis), abundant in pastures and fallow land, the Apennine Gentian (Gentiana Dinaric), of an intense blue, and the aforementioned Marsica Iris.

Red Lily

Martagon Lily

The most famous flower of the park is undoubtedly the Venus’s shoe, or Pianella Madonna (Cypripedium calceolus), a yellow and black orchid located in the heart of the reserve. This plant, which grows even in the alpine village, risks the extinction because of the unnecessary collection by not educated tourists, so it’s necessary to protect it.

Venus's shoe

FAUNA

After years of intolerance and persecution, it is now defended in its entirety, thanks to both education and protection, carried out by Ente of Park in recent years. For visitors it is not easy to spot the animals, because they are mostly elusive, evasive and circumspect, perhaps remembering the negative experiences with humans. However, in some seasons and under specific circumstances (quiet, silence and respect for the environment), you can observe the most spectacular and representative animals of the park, like the Chamois of Abruzzo, the Brown Marsicano Bear, the Wolf , the Deer and the Golden Eagle.

Chamois of Abruzzo

Today the park hosts a wide variety of animals that once occupied a much wider area of Appennino Mountains: 60 species of mammals, 300 birds, 40 reptiles, amphibians and fishes, and many species of insects.

How to arrive there

By car:

- For those coming from Rome, you can use the highway A24/A25 Rome-L’Aquila-Pescara, exiting at Celano or Pescina and continuing to Bisegna (or to Gioia dei Marsi), or the highway A1 Roma-Napoli, exiting at Frosinone, then moving to Sora Forca d’Acero

- Coming from the south along the highway A1 until the Caianello exit and continuing to Venafro and Alfedena.

By train: the nearest railway stations are Avezzano (Rome-Pescara), and Castel di Sangro (line Sulmona – Castel di Sangro), then by coach.

A fountain in the Boboli Garden

Visiting this unique park, in fact, you can note how the architectonical disposition of a rare botanical heritage is accompaigned by the presence of veritable architecture’s and sculpture’s masterpieces.  All these Neoclassic and Mannerist artistic works are full of specific meanings and symbols.

The completion of this garden lasted for four centuries, from Renaissance to the Nineteenth century representing in this way the result of different interventions wanted by all the liege lords who followed one after the other throughout centuries.

The Boboli garden is placed on the hill behind Pitti Palace and its realization was required by Cosimo I dei Medici who wanted to construct a worthy scenography for the parties of the Medici’s court.

View of the Pitti Palace from the Boboli Garden

You can reach this park coming from the internal courtyard of Palazzo Pitti through  a staircase that will lead you to a large square where you can admire the Fountain of the Artichoke.

The Fountain of the Artichoke

At the centre of this garden there is the amphitheatre originally built to perform theatrical  representations for the Medici’s family.

The amphitheatre in the Boboli Garden

During the nineteenth century this garden’s scenographic function increased thanks to the installation of a central Roman epoch granite fountain and of an Egyptian obelisk.

The Egyptian obelisk in the Boboli Garden

At the end of the avenue of the Viottolone there is the large square of the Oxbow (Isolotto): in this widening you can admire an artificial small lake full of grasses that decorate the Fountain of Ocean made by Giambologna in 1576. Two small paths start from this point: one of them will lead you to the Fort of Belevedere (Forte del Belvedere) and the other one will lead you to the Casino of the Knight (Casino del Cavaliere) that is now the seat of the Chinaware Museum (Museo delle Porcellane).

The Fountain of Ocean

Coming back toward Pitti Palace, this small path will lead you to the Grotta Grande (the Big Cave): this is a magnificent compound of statues and fountains made by Buontalenti. This is one of the masterpieces in Boboli. Behind the elegant little loggia (supported by precious red marble columns belonging to the pre-existent garden centre by Giorgio Vasari) the Buontalenti’s mannerist fancy produced three striking ambiances inspired by the theme of the metamorphosis.

The Grotta Grande by Buontalenti