The Parco del Gigante, once known as the Alto Appennino Reggiano regional park, includes one of the most intact Apennine environments in Emilia-Romagna. The name “del Gigante” derives from the shape of the most important peak, Monte Cusna, which seen from the plain resembles the figure of a reclining man. The Regional Park of the High Apennines of Reggio was established in 1988 in the municipalities of Busana, Collagna, Ligonchio, Ramiseto and Villa Minozzo. Following the establishment of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park, in 2005 the regional park was abolished and the area was included in the national park. In the Emilia area, in addition to a large part of the Parco del Gigante, the upper valley of the Parma stream and the isolated bulk of the Pietra di Bismantova with the nearby Triassic chalks of the Secchia contributed to making up the territory of the National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The area of Parco del Gigante has a great variety of exposures and altitudes, characteristics that have generated different environments, from the coldest and most bare ones, to forests, to hills, all of high naturalistic and landscape value. In addition to Mount Cusna, some of the highest peaks of the northern Apennine chain are part of it, from which you can enjoy vast panoramas of inaccessible valleys, extensive woods and large grasslands at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mountain slopes from 900 m to 1,800 m are characterized by extensive beech woods, which rarely give way to other formations, among which the reforestation of conifers stands out. Along the watercourses, the beech trees give way to willows, poplars and alders and the huge heart-shaped leaves of butterbur stand out among the herbaceous vegetation. There are also chestnut groves in the Park, always located near inhabited centres, testifying to the close bond that united these woods with the local people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The area is rich in animal species of great interest, linked above all to high-altitude ecosystems. In particular, birds constitute the most diversified group, among which the following stand out: house martins; swifts; golden eagles; the woodcock, which here has one of the few known breeding sites in Italy; and the whinchat, a passerine similar to the stonechat, very rare in Italy. Among the other species present are: the wolf, the deer, the roe deer, the wild boar, the fox and various mustelids including beech marten, skunk, weasel and badger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, numerous forms of mountain architecture are visible in the area, such as stone houses and some stone service buildings, once with a characteristic thatched roof. In the woods, on the other hand, it is often possible to come across small stone buildings called “metati”, which were used to dry the chestnuts collected in the chestnut groves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more information visit the official web site of\u00a0Parco del Gigante<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n