Between October and November, nature offers its best show, known as the foliage, one of the most photographed natural phenomena in the world.
The leaves of beech, larch, ash, oak, chestnut and other species of plants and trees change color taking on a thousand shades of reds, oranges and yellows and the landscape becomes an explosion of warm and strong hues. Walking through these autumn landscapes is like stepping into a painting. Every path, every glimpse, every valley seems like a canvas of vibrant colors that changes with every step; walking through a forest immersed in the colors of foliage is a rejuvenating experience that helps you slow down your pace and enjoy every moment immersed in the atmosphere of the mountains. One of the characteristics that makes foliage in Abruzzo unique is precisely the variety of environments: mountain forests, woods, paths along rivers, each area has its own rhythm and colors. The different altitudes contribute to prolong the duration of the phenomenon, allowing you to enjoy the show for almost two months, but there are many factors that influence its beginning and end, so it is preferable to inform yourself in order to catch it in its full splendor.
Here is a selection of the most spectacular places in Abruzzo and Lazio:
Maiella National Park
– The forest of Lama Bianca, just a few kilometers from Sant´Eufemia a Maiella (PE), is the ideal place to fully enjoy the charms of autumn without making too much effort. Here the beeches soar upward and create a colorful roof under which to remain in silence and listen to the sounds of the forest.
– Bosco di Sant´Antonio near Pescocostanzo (AQ), is a forest with monumental beeches with imposing shapes that are tinged with warm brushstrokes with the arrival of autumn. The beeches here have reached a venerable age and acquired the typical candelabra shape. In Roman times the area was consecrated to Jupiter, while in the Middle Ages it was consecrated to St. Anthony.
– Pianagrande is one of the most beautiful overlooks of Majella National Park, in Caramanico Terme (PE). To climb up here, you can take scenic trails that allow you to admire Morrone, Gran Sasso and the surrounding valleys while observing all the variations in color that change according to the altitude of the vegetation.
– Piano Cerreto near Campo di Giove (AQ), is an area much frequented by deer, capriloli and wolves. From here you can climb up to Colle Brignole, where the forest becomes thicker and wilder and the trees turn from yellow to orange to rust red in a rich array of hues.
– Valle dell´Orfento, which has always been called “The Enchanted Valley,” becomes even more so between October and November. The river rushes rushing under vertical rock walls among dense vegetation that autumn paints with the yellow and red hues of poplars and maples.
Sirente Velino Regional Natural Park
– Val d’Arano Loop Trail – Ovindoli (AQ)
– Lake Tempra Trail (AQ)
– Pagliare Trail – Tione (AQ)
The Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park is covered with beech forests for 2/3 of its surface area, during the autumn season it is tinged with spectacular variations on yellow, orange and brown. The surroundings of Pescasseroli become particularly picturesque: the Gioia Vecchio pass, Val di Rose, Valfondillo, Camosciara, Forca d’Acero, the Sangro River, and the small village of Opi, to name a few, are exceptional tourist and photographic destinations. This area is rich in forests, naturalistic rarities and is crossed by several streams. The valley is also populated by protected or endangered animals such as the Marsican brown bear, Apennine wolf and Abruzzo chamois. Here it is possible to go on hikes of varying duration and difficulty, accompanied by expert guides, and at dusk it is easy to be able to listen to the roaring of deer in love.
One of the most evocative and wild places in Italy is located right here, in the territory of the municipality of Villavallelonga: we are talking about the Faggeta Vetusta della Val Cervara, which, with its gigantic beech trees over 5 centuries old, has been called the oldest beech forest in Europe. Reason why it has been declared a UNESCO heritage site.
Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park:
– Trail toAbetina from Cortino (TE)
– Trail to Rifugio del Monte – Fano Adriano (TE)
– Trail to Val Chiarino
Foliage in Lazio
If you are in Rome, you will probably be amazed at how many villas in the capital can offer you the spectacle of foliage. Especially Villa Borghese, where the colors of autumn are intertwined with the art and history of this park, designed in the seventeenth century and redesigned in the early nineteenth century according to Romantic taste. Particularly striking in this season is the Valle dei Platani, home to specimens of Platanus x acerifolia planted more than 400 years ago by Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, the creator of the villa-museum just outside Porta Pinciana. This naturalistic wonder is easily reached from the north entrance of Villa Borghese, between Viale Ulisse Aldrovandi and Via Mercadante, continuing past the Biopark forecourt into the valley below. Continuing to follow the paths of Villa Borghese, one can be enchanted by the romantic suggestions of the avenues that surround the Lake of Aesculapius, to end the visit beyond the bridge that spans the Viale del Muro Torto where the Pincio Gardens, Rome’s first public park, opens. To be explored on foot, by bicycle or on a rented tourist rickshaw, Villa Borghese in autumn is an experience to be enjoyed.
If you have time on your hands to take one or more trips out of town there are some places, particularly picturesque that are worth visiting:
– the Nature Reserve of Monte Catillo, near Tivoli;
– the Selva di Malano, near Bomarzo and the Marturanum park in Barbano Romano;
– Carpineto Romano, here you can reach by car and continue on foot to the Faggeta, a nature trail full of enchanting colors where you will find beech and chestnut trees and much more along the way;
– Monte Livata : Simbruini Mountains Regional Park organizes“Mount Autore 1855 m: autumn colors in the Simbruini Mountains“: meet on Saturday, October 26, at 9:30 a.m. in Livata (RM), near Subiaco.
– Bracciano, within San Liberato Park due to the presence of Canadian maples and Japanese cherry trees. The multicolored garden was designed by landscape architect Russell Page and also houses a romantic church enclosed by the forest of ancient chestnut trees.
