Micro adventure in the Appennini

As you know only 23,2% of the territories in Italy are flatlands. From north to south there are so many mountain ranges. The Appennini mountain range starts in the south and continue through the peninsula to the north-west till they reach the Po Valley in the north, the largest plain in the country, and then stretching all the way to the Liguria region on the west.

The Appennini mountain range is divided into three main trunks based on latitude: the northern Appennini, central Appennini and southern Appennini. In the northern part there’s the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, an area between the Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna region. The highest pick is the Monte Cimone (2165 mt.). From 2015 this area became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

These mountains were formed mostly from limestone rocks and are constantly eroded by the elements.

Along the northern ridge there is the Regional Park of the High Appennini in the province of Modena. An area with many landmarks and scenic views. One of my favorites place is the Baccio Lake (1554 mt.), it’s located in a basin of glacial origin and it’s dominated by the ridge between Tuscany and Emilia. In spring and autumn this is a quit and solitary place, the Nature is luxuriant and you can experience the pleasure of venturing into woods or climbing to the top of a mountain without encountering anyone.

Another point of interest, even though not in my top ten list, it’s the Santo Lake, it’s the second largest lake in northern Appennini, after the homonym one in the Parma county, and it’s only 1 km away from Baccio Lake.

Saturday July 12, 2014. Alto Appennino Modenese, hiking to Mt. Rondinaio. A view of the lakes, on the right the Baccio Lake (1550 m.) on the left the Santo Lake (1501 m.).

The east side of the lake is dominated by a beechwood forest.

From the summit of the Mount Rondinaio Lombardo (1825 mt.) you have an impressive view towards the main peaks of the area.

In the opposite direction you can reach the summit of the Mount Rondinaio (1964 mt.). From there you can see, on Tuscany side, the Garfagnana region and the Apuane Alps and on the other side the Tagliole Valley.

Saturday July 12, 2014. Alto Appennino Modenese, hiking to Mt. Rondinaio. The view of the crinale from the Mt. Rondinaio (1964 m.) with Mt. Giovo (1991 m.) in the center.