The Natural Park of Orecchiella is on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, a 930 mile-long mountain range that runs north-south, and lays right in between the Po River Valley, the rest of Europe, and the Mediterranean Sea. The Apennine ridgeline, an almost continuous sequence of peaks whose altitude ranges between 1600 and 2000 meters, is the physical border between Emilia and Tuscany: you can walk along it, and on clear days overlook the Alps on the north side and the Mediterranean Sea on the south side.
The Park is split into 2 regions – Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany – and 4 districts: Reggio and Parma in Emilia Romagna on the north side; Lunigiana and Garfagnana (districts of Massa Carrara and Lucca) in Tuscany on the south side.
It has two distinct climate zones and dramatic diversity. There are olive trees, holly oaks, and vineyards and early, warm springs on the southern side in Lunigiana and Garfagnana. On the north side in Reggio and Parma, there are grasslands, fir trees, and ample snowfall. In this unique environment you can meet exceptional biodiversity: the Park contains 70% of all the species present in Italy, including species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fish, the wolf and the golden eagle.
Due to its extraordinary features and ongoing relationship between man and nature, in 2015 the Park was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a Man and Biosphere Reserve.
[Photos are mine]
Link: http://www.parcoappennino.it/page.php?id=466
