Marche parks and nature

The Marche region and its natural parks: Monti della Laga

Monti della Laga    0000-00-00

Tourists wanting to know the most beautiful natural parks in the Marche will be surprised by the landscapes offered by Monti della Laga, located a bit furthur south to the Sibillini Mountains: it is the northernmost sector of quite a renown national park, the National Park of Gran Sasso and the Monti della Laga. Beyond the gorges dug over time by the Tronto river, these spectacular peaks stand out in a park established recently, in the mid-Nineties, covering a surface of 150.000 hectares.There are more than two thousand plants living in the territory of the park; among them we should mention the Leontopodium Nivale (Apennine edelweiss) and the martagon lily.

Those who love being in contact with nature in the parks of the Marche will therefore be in their element amongst this scenery, where it is possible to admire several rare orchids, including the ghost orchid. And not only but also the luxuriant blueberry which grows like extremely wide carpets, especially at high altitude, forming a real moorland in the upland pastures. With its 2458 metres, Mount Gorzano is the most imposing peak of the Monti della Laga, whose tops are characterized by round and blunt shapes.

The European silver fir, a rare tree in the region, and the birch nucleuses further enhance one of the most suggestive natural parks of the Marche. As far as fauna is concerned, the chamois ranks among the most interesting species, typical of the Apennines, and is present with around fifty animals, thanks to a specific activity of reintroduction – unlike the Gran Sasso mountains, which are towards the city of L’Aquila and marked by very extensive graze lands, forests cover a good portion of the Monti della Laga -with chestnut groves and oak forests dominating the lower areas, whilst between 1000 and 1800 meters in altitude, beechwood is the most common species. However there is not only beech, but also maples, taxus, tilia, elms, fraxinus and holly: there’s so much green everywhere!

Just like all other parks in the Marche, in this case there are also several activities for those who want to have a fun time in a healthy way with the upmost respect to the natural landscapes: in winter, as well as during the summer, you can enjoy excursions by bicycle or on foot; when winter arrives, alpine skiing, backcountry skiing and mountaineering are options to consider very carefully. And, speaking of cold weather, it is worth to visit the area to also simply admire the Laga falls, whose waters freeze and create demanding, yet very fascinating trails for mountaineers. Those who do not feel like trying this adventure, can enjoy the scenery taking pictures with their smartphones.