Foliage in Casentino: tutta la bellezza della Toscana in autunno

Where to see the most beautiful foliage in Casentino? Let's discover together the places to visit and how to recognize trees by their fallen leaves.

The Park's Forests between October and November

Pbook the Casentino for the last two weeks of October and the first two of November, because you'll see some beautiful things. Fallen leaves, we mean. Forests of the Park they can in fact be divided into two bands: a mountainous one, above the 800-1500 meters, and an underlying, hilly one, from 500 to the 800 metersIn the first one, beech dominates, together with other species including silver fir, lime or maple, a natural wealth which in that period is transformed into the beauty of infinite shades of color.

Foliage rosso lungo un torrente nelle Foreste Casentinesi in autunno

Recommended places and routes for admiring the foliage in Casentino

The most famous place to experience the great emotional experience of the forest of a thousand colors is the summit of Mount Penna, above the Blade Forest, reachable from Fangacci PassA similar emotion can be felt in Campigna Forest, as well as the monumental forest of beech, maple and fir trees that surrounds the Sanctuary of La Verna.

In November, at lower altitudes, to marvel at the colours of the oaks (Turkey oak and downy oak), we suggest the spectacular Pietrapazza Valley; the path of the Ripe Tuscan in the solitary Valley of the Cells; the Climbing Mount Tiravento, from Premilcuore; and the Acquacheta Valley, from San Benedetto. While on the Casentino side, the Tramignone trail which connects Serravalle with Badia Prataglia.

Are the Casentino Forests really the “most colorful in Italy”?

Well it's about a a record that is difficult to prove, yet there are natural and historical conditions that explain it.Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines It is in fact located at the hinge of two large regions: the Mediterranean area and the European one. This allows the association of forest species of different origins, generating aexceptional biodiversity which is embodied in over forty species of trees present, a true record for our latitudes.

The other factor, even more important, is the conservation and careful management that these forests have enjoyed over the centuries. From Camaldolese (1000 years ago), to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, to the State Forestry Corps, which still today manages the most intact portion of the forest, up to the National Park, history has turned in favor of the integrity of these extraordinary forest complexes. So much so that today trees which in the Apennines appear as real rarities, such as maples, ashes, elms, lime trees, etc., in the Casentino Forests they are very present species and light up the forest with colors in autumn.

For further information: Casentino, a mystical land of world-famous forests, castles, parish churches, and spiritual hermitages.

Il Sentiero delle Foreste Sacre è un itinerario in 7 tappe di 100 km, all'interno del Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi in Toscana

How to recognize species by their colors foliage in Casentino

To put it simply, we can say that the beech it lights up with a golden rust color, thecurly maple of an intense lemon yellow, thefield maple of a yellow-orange and thesycamore maple, a middle ground between the two. Spectacular theopal maple, which is colored red and orange, while the cherry tree it turns red, theflowering ash of an unmistakable burgundy in the woods, the oaks of a rusty yellow. Not to be overlooked eithercoloration effect of evergreen species, which stand out in the forest in autumn and then in winter: in the mountain range the protagonist is certainly the silver fir.

Lucatello Organic Farmhouse – Pratovecchio

THE'Lucatello Organic Farmhouse, family-run, welcomes you in an excellent panoramic position on the Romanesque parish church of Romena, on the slopes of Casentino Forests National ParkHere, the utmost respect for the environment prevails, both in agricultural production and in agritourism. Try the interesting Educational Farm, Maura's kitchen – with cured meats and cheeses, but also jams, honey, and fresh vegetables –; the horse riding stables; and fascinating alpaca walks.

Ventrina Organic Farm – Bibbiena

THE'Casentino Farmhouse Located within a vast 65-hectare farm, Fattoria Ventrina is an ancient stone farmhouse that dates back to 1066 (first a convent of the Camaldolese nuns, then a sharecropping farm). From the farmhouse you can access the garden and vegetable garden, where you can walk among the tomato plants, visit the chickens. And if the sulphurous water available at the facility is very healthy for the skin, the dozens of bee families which provide different types of honey, the family garden, the olive grove, the chickens, the stable and the dairy for the production of artisanal raw milk cheeses, are very healthy for the body and soul.

For further information: 10 Farms with Animals in Tuscany: When Nature Brings Us Back to Ourselves

La Livorno bianca è una delle razze di galline ovaiole toscane

We also recommend visiting in Casentino:

Selvoli Farm – Poppi
CCPB certified organic farm that cultivates an area of approximately 30 hectares of cereals where a portion of the forest is maintained for bio-balance. All the activities of the supply chain take place here, from cultivation to processing and finally to packaging. direct sale of products: flour, spelt and bread.

Il Colle dei Sogni Farm – Bibbiena
Grow different varieties of medicinal and aromatic plants, some fruit trees, small fruits and vegetables. They personally follow the entire supply chain, from cultivation, to harvesting, to processing, up to packaging and product sales.

Organic Petals – Organic Orchard – Poppi
Two hectares of woodland, over four thousand fruit trees to visit and even pick directly. Blackberries, raspberries, white, black and red currants, pears, cherries, plums, pomegranates, apricots and quinces, and so on and so forth, for a360° immersive experience among the fruits of the earth. In the true sense of the word. Without considering the possibility of buy jams, liqueurs, jams, smoothies, juices…

For further information: Holidays in Casentino: 7 splendid days among sacred forests, churches, sanctuaries, and castles.

Dear reader, If you liked this article, you could also leave us a comment below, on FB, on IG, or share it via the button WhatsAppBut only if you like. Thanks for joining us.