Exploring the Parco dell’Orecchiella
The evocative Parco dell’Orecchiella stands hidden between the majestic rocks of the Apuan Alps and the lush beech woods of the Tuscan Apennines. This vast protected area, located in the picturesque Garfagnana, offers a scenario of incomparable beauty: a large plateau dominated by the imposing limestone massif of the Pania di Corfino. With its more than 5,000 hectares of extension, ranging from 600 to 2,045 meters above sea level, the Park offers a magnificent testimony to unspoiled nature, but at the same time houses reception and educational facilities for visitors.
Park Visitor Center
The beating heart of the Park is the Visitor Center, managed by the State Forestry Corps, a three-story building that represents an essential pillar for nature lovers (inside you will also find the Botanical Garden). Within this multifunctional structure, you will find a technical office, a guesthouse, a library, a research laboratory, a conference-projection room and the Naturalistic Museum. The latter has been specially designed to offer an interactive educational experience for both schools and all other visitors. Inside, environmental issues are explored, the characteristic environments of Orecchiella are reproduced, such as the majestic beech woods, the high-altitude prairies, the imposing rocky walls and the enchanting pastures.
What to do and what to see: attractions and activities in the Orecchiella Park
The Orecchiella Park offers a truly remarkable range of attractions and activities, let’s see the main ones:
Excursions on foot: The Orecchiella is crossed by numerous paths, suitable for all types of excursionists, from the youngest to expert guides. The main itineraries are divided into two categories: the Sentieri della Domenica, six pleasant walks suitable for everyone, and the Sentieri Airone, three paths reserved for more experienced hikers.
Cycling: Orecchiella is a true paradise for bicycle lovers, thanks to a wide range of routes available. If you wish to rent a mountain bike or an e-bike, or take part in a guided bicycle tour, you can do so by choosing one of the park’s partners and thus discover the Orecchiella on two wheels.
Museums: The most renowned area of the Orecchiella is undoubtedly the Visitor Center, which has welcomed visitors for decades with its fascinating museums and characteristic lakes. Here, you can stroll in a well-kept environment, perfect for the whole family, visiting the famous wildlife enclosures and the Mountain Flower Garden. Access to the area is possible with a day ticket.
For a short list of the attractions of Orecchiella, here are some places not to be missed:
- Visitor Center
- Naturalistic Museum
- Museum of Territory and Landscape History
- House of Raptors
- Mountain Garden
- Picnic areas
- Sunday Trails
- Educational Trail
- Paths “Airone” and “C.A.I.”
- Wildlife enclosures (with moufflons, bears and roe deer)
- “Maria Ansaldi” Botanical Garden
- Pania of Corfino
The Botanical Garden
Founded in 1984 by the Garfagnana Mountain Community, the Giardino Botanico “Maria Ansaldi” Pania di Corfino houses the most significant plant species of the Orecchiella Park. This splendid garden is located in a clearing in the beech forest, on the southern slope of the Pania di Corfino, at an altitude of 1370 meters in the Orecchiella Natural Park. Inside, rare and endangered plants are cultivated and collected, as well as the spontaneous flora of the Lucca Apennines used in traditional medicine and in the diet of the communities of the Upper Garfagnana. A visit to the Botanical Garden not only allows you to admire numerous plant species, but also offers an opportunity for a short naturalistic excursion, through the reconstruction of the natural environments of the Upper Lucchese Apennines, such as the heaths, cliffs, macereti, peat bogs, pastures and woods.
What to see around the park
The Orecchiella State Reserve is located in the splendid Garfagnana, an enchanting region embraced between the majestic Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, in the immediate vicinity of the historic Fortezza delle Verrucole. Furthermore, it is possible to reach in an hour by car another natural wonder, the Grotta del Vento, and the suggestive village of Isola Santa, with its emerald lake.
Opening time
The park can be visited from April to October, at the following times:
- April: Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10.00am – 4.00pm (starting from Saturday 16 April)
- May: Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10.00am – 5.00pm
- June, July and August: every day 10.00 – 18.00
- September: every day 10.00 – 17.00
- October (1 November included): Sundays and holidays from 10.30am to 3.30pm
Park tickets
- Adults: €2
- Children between 6 and 11 and over 65: €1
- Groups (min. 15 people): €10
- Children up to 6 years and people with disabilities: free admission
Park Access Rules
Please note that dogs are not allowed in the paid area. Furthermore, the museums close half an hour before the Park’s closing time to allow for sanitization operations. The maximum number of daily visitors is 600 people, except for different ministerial provisions. Therefore, it is advisable to book in advance.
How to get to the Orecchiella Park
Access to the Reserve is made from the Orecchiella Visitor Center, which is located 69 km from Lucca. From this city, continue in the direction of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, then taking the provincial road that leads to Corfino (Municipality of Villa Collemandina) and continues up to the Orecchiella area. For those coming from Aulla, it is also possible to reach the Park from San Romano in Garfagnana, continuing towards the hamlet of Caprignana and then up to the Visitor Center.
Official website: orecchiella.com.
