Nature Holidays
Relish the peace and fresh air
The hinterland of the Adriatic coast is an amazing prism of landscapes. The continual alternation between history and environment, natural and man-made landscapes, is the territory's intrinsic wealth. Travelling through the region, little by little you become aware that this land features a solid balance between the original physical environment and the long-lasting effects made on it by man over the centuries.
Spas, well-being and relaxation
Parks and nature reserves
When you leave the sandy coast, distinguished by the enchanting dunes and majestic pine woods, you come to the lagoons, marshlands and fertile plains, embellished by orchards, sunflowers, corn fields and prized vineyards that furrow the hillsides as far as the slopes of the Apennine ridges. There is no lack of opportunities to discover this fascinating land. There are fourteen parks and twelve nature reserves to explore (they cover an overall 7% of the area of the region), countless peaceful pathways to stroll along, to feast your eyes on the flight of beautiful birds or the delicate colours of wild flowers.
To find out more:
www.regione.emilia-romagna.it
Holidays in the midst of greenery
You can spend thrilling holidays in the extensive Po Delta Park, in the depths of the Casentino forests or exploring the Onferno caves. From the plains to the hillsides, there are endless opportunities to follow nature and historical itineraries that take you to the peaks of the Apennines. The 300 kilometres of the Apennines have a network of ten thousand pathways which run through splendid woods where relaxation is culture and your holiday turns into a nature adventure and voyage of discovery of history, art, food and wine and rural traditions. These traditions still thrive in the old farm houses, the manor houses and the typical stone-built mountain dwellings comprising most of the holiday farms in the region. Apart from these, for open-air holiday enthusiasts there are camping sites and tourist villages surrounded by a lush and silent nature.
To find out more:
www.camping.it
www.campeggi.com
or you can consult the site of the Emilia-Romagna tourism editorial office at this link
www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it
The Po Delta Regional Park
Almost 60,000 hectares make up the area of this exceptional system, set up to safeguard the singular features of the Po Delta. The park spreads out into the Provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna and is divided into six distinct excursion departure zones. The variety of environments and cultural attractions offered by this extreme tip of the Po valley is amazing. Here you can find gathered together, one next to the other, the remains of the primitive Mediterranean maquis and hygrophilous woods, the littoral lagoons, the dunes, the brackish water lagoons and the humid freshwater zones, traces of ancient Etruscan and Roman civilizations, Byzantine mosaics, and Benedictine and Este family architecture. In spring and summer you can admire the splendid blossoming of rare botanical species: water-lilies, whitethorn, iris pseudacorus, snowflakes, flowering rush, mare's tail, yellow pseudacorus. Keen birdwatchers will enjoy moments of authentic enthralment watching pink flamingos, ash-grey, white or red plumaged herons, little egrets, black-winged stilts, avocets, curlews, tufted ducks, woodcocks, kingfishers, squacco heron and many more. It's a matter of fact that in the park you can see 265 types of birds, half of them nesting there because there is an abundance of nourishment and sheltering places. The other species stop off in the park during migration that takes them from northern Europe to the African countries. In every season, guides and environmental experts are at the disposal of nature-lovers for excursions that last several days, or just for walks, horse rides, cycling or canoeing trips a few hours long.
To find out more:
www.parcodeltapo.it
The Onferno Nature Reserve
The Onferno Nature Reserve takes its name from the Latin infernum. Established in 1992, it covers an area of 123 hectares and protects several environmental typologies: the karst complex of the caves of hell, the ancient rural areas with their typical stone-built houses, the woodlands and the fields where vines and olives are cultivated. Caves, swallow-holes, crags, erosion furrows and woods distinguish the landscape, which is one of the wildest areas in Romagna. You can visit a cave that shelters six species of bats, harmless and unjustly abhorred flying mammals, among which are 2,500 specimens of the rare and extremely precious bet-winged bat. The cave is particularly striking because of the karst phenomena which are caused by the action of water on chalk, and are known as alabastrines, knolls, efflorescent crystals. A visit to the Nature Museum in Gemmano may lead to a more thorough knowledge of the culture of the area.
To find out more:
www.regione.emilia-romagna.it
www.grottedionferno.it
National Park of the Casentino Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna
Created in 1993, the National Park of the Casentino Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna covers roughly 37,000 hectares of the Tuscany-Romagna Appenines, and is one of the most interesting examples of forest parks in Europe. It abounds with deer, roebuck, mouflons, fallow deer and wild boar which this environment is ideal for, and there is a wide range of reptiles, amphibians and over eighty species of birds, also counting the golden eagle which nests here. Considering the presence of a large number of wolves, predators at the top of the food chain, the park finds confirmation of its natural balance and significant naturalistic wealth. The park is served by an extensive network of forest tracks and signposted paths which allow excursionists to choose whether to take short strolls or more challenging trekking routes along the ridge paths.
To find out more:
www.parcoforestecasentinesi.it
Salt Pan Park of Cervia
In May 2004 opened the new visit center of the salt pan of Cervia. It is possible to choose among 3 different itineraries: the naturalistic one, the historic one and the productive one. The naturalistic itinerary goes from the Circondariale Channel to the Casello del Diavolo, where can be observed a lot of different species of birds: flamingos, avocets, stilts. The historic itinerary leads to the discover of Ficocle and of the disappeared town along the channel that connnected the Old Cervia to the sea. The salt itinerary leads to the small salt pan Camillone then to the Magazzeno del Sale, where it has been opened the new Salt Museum, with many documents, images and stories about one of the most ancient Salt pan in the world.
To find out more:
www.comunecervia.it
Art and Culture
Just a stone's throw from the sea
When the sun gently kisses and caresses your skin, diving into the sea is a real delight, just as it is to relish the shade of a parish church, savour the magical atmosphere of a castle, the silence of a basilica, the marvels of a fortress. There is nothing more simple than doing all this on the Adriatic Riviera. Once you've left the beach, curiosity and the urge for discovery accompany the traveller to awareness of a land which is historically rich in art and culture.
To find out more:
www.cittadarte.org
www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it
www.romagnapolis.it
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