Guide to the Casentinesi Forests National Park: Untamed Nature and Spirituality.
Straddling the regions of Romagna, Casentino, and Mugello lies the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona, and Campigna. This spectacular protected area is home to one of the largest, oldest, and best-preserved forest complexes in all of Italy.
Geographically, the park encompasses an extraordinary area:
- On the Romagna side: this includes the mountainous sections of the Montone, Rabbi, Bidente, and Tramazzo valleys.
- On the Tuscan side: this includes part of the Mugello region and the mountainous section of the Casentino. It is right here, on the southern slopes of Mount Falterona, that the famous headwaters of the Arno River are located.
Flora: The Green Giants and Wild Orchids
The Casentino Forests are famous for their majestic trees and their record-breaking botanical biodiversity. As you walk beneath the dense canopy of the woods, you’ll come across:
- Centuries-old trees: Majestic silver firs, spectacular columnar beech trees, and millennia-old chestnut trees, flanked by sycamore maples, elms, and ash trees.
- A Record-Breaking Understory: The forests shelter a rich green carpet that is home to over 1,000 species of flowers, including extremely rare and delicate wild orchids.
Fauna: The Realm of the Wolf and the Deer
The ecological quality of this park has allowed for the development of an extraordinary array of wildlife, which is studied and admired internationally. There are two true stars of the area:
- The Deer: A majestic and rapidly growing population, which today numbers about a thousand magnificent specimens.
- The Apennine Wolf: There are approximately 40 wolves living permanently in the park, a figure that represents one of the highest and most stable population densities in a protected area in Europe.
🐾 Other encounters in the woods: As you explore the trails, it’s easy to spot fallow deer, roe deer, and wild boars, as well as more elusive mammals such as badgers, martens, skunks, weasels, and the rare wildcat. Looking up at the sky, among the most notable birds of prey you can spot the goshawk and the honey buzzard.
Places of the Soul: La Verna and Camaldoli
What makes the Casentinesi Forest Park unique is the unbreakable bond between its unspoiled nature and its millennia-old centers of spirituality, must-see destinations for hikers and pilgrims:
The Hermitage and Monastery of Camaldoli: Founded in 1012 and completely surrounded by a dense fir forest, this monastic complex houses an ancient library of inestimable value and a splendid Baroque-style church filled with precious works of art.
The Sanctuary of La Verna: Perched on the rugged slopes of Monte Penna, on the Tuscan side, it is the famous site where St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata, nestled within a majestic forest considered sacred.
