Over 600 km of trails winding through centuries-old beech woods, hermitages and waterfalls: how to explore the Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi on foot, setting out from Borgo Tramonte.
At the gateway to the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi
Just a short walk from Borgo Tramonte, in the heart of the Casentino, lies one of the largest forested areas in Italy: the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna, whose headquarters are located in Pratovecchio Stia itself. From here, a network of more than 600 km of waymarked trails invites you to leave the car behind and discover the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines one step at a time, among age-old beech woods, mountain streams and ancient places of monastic silence.
Forests that have crossed the centuries
The landscape you walk through here is no ordinary woodland: the Foresta di Campigna, with its silver firs, and the Foresta della Lama shelter ancient beech forests that were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Within them, the Riserva Naturale Integrale di Sasso Fratino — the first of its kind established in Italy, in 1959 — remains inaccessible and untouched, almost a reminder of how these Apennines must have looked before the arrival of man.
Trails for every pace
On foot, unhurried
For those who prefer to walk without rigid plans, the park's official guide "A piedi nel Parco", in two volumes, describes 54 routes with details on length, elevation gain, difficulty, walking time, recommended season and points of interest along the way. Anyone who would rather rely on their phone can consult the park's interactive map or download the dedicated app, which also works offline where there is no signal.
Nature trails, to understand the forest as you walk through it
The park also offers 9 nature trails, short interpretive routes designed to tell the story of the area's geology, vegetation, wildlife and history stage by stage: the one at Camaldoli explores the trees and the forest, the one at Badia Prataglia the beech wood, the one at Campigna the silver fir. There are also highly accessible routes, such as "Un sentiero per tutti i sensi" at Campigna, designed for those seeking contact with the forest without technical difficulty.
Destinations worth the walk
The Acquacheta waterfall
Among the best-loved destinations on the Romagna side of the park is the Acquacheta waterfall, some 80 metres high and made famous by Dante's verses in the Divine Comedy. A dedicated nature trail accompanies its discovery, weaving together the geological story and the literary one.
Camaldoli and La Verna, between forest and contemplation
Walking in the park also means walking through the history of Tuscan spirituality. The Eremo di Camaldoli, founded by San Romualdo in 1012, and the Santuario della Verna, given to San Francesco in 1213, are two stops that unite the beauty of centuries-old woodland with centuries of monastic life, and remain a natural destination for anyone walking in this corner of the Apennines.
For those who want to walk further
The Sentiero delle Foreste Sacre
Those with more days to spare can take on the Sentiero delle Foreste Sacre, over 90 km divided into seven stages, from the Lago di Ponte, near Tredozio, all the way to La Verna. It is a route designed for those seeking depth rather than speed: barely any paved roads, the rustle of leaves, running water, footsteps on the forest floor.
Twelve circuits from refuge to refuge
For those who prefer shorter itineraries that still unfold over several days, the park offers twelve three-day circular routes, with two overnight stays, linking not only mountain refuges but also agriturismi, country inns and old farmsteads. Some bear evocative names such as "Il Falterona e la Foresta di Campigna", "La Millenaria Foresta di Camaldoli" or "La Verna e la Vallesanta", each one a different doorway into the same immense forest.
Discreet wildlife, to be spotted with patience
Walking in these forests also means moving through the territory of wildlife the park has protected for decades: the Apennine wolf, with an estimated population of some fifty individuals divided into several packs, the wildcat, the golden eagle among the diurnal birds of prey, and the black woodpecker, whose only population in the northern Apennines nests right here.
Setting out from Borgo Tramonte
After a day spent among beech woods and ridgelines, the return matters as much as the walk itself. From Borgo Tramonte, wrapped in the quiet of the Casentino, the Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi is within easy reach: the ideal base to set out from in the early morning and to come back to in the evening, with the slow step of someone who has walked through one of the oldest forests in Europe.
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