From the first foothills to the peaks of the Apennines
The hills of the Piedmont have woods of oak, chestnut, cherry, hornbeam, rowan and ash trees. From an altitude of 700 to 800 metres, the deciduous trees give way to conifers and beeches. Wild boars, foxes, porcupines, badgers, fallow deer, hares and even wolves populate the wild forests of the Apennine slopes. In addition, there is a gradual increase in the wooded areas in the region, with areas less profitable for agriculture being abandoned and recolonized by the forest or reforested by man.
Two national parks, which Emilia-Romagna shares with its Tuscan neighbour, protect this uncontaminated nature: The Parco Nazionale dell'Apennino Tosco-Emiliano is of interest to the south of the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia. The park is home to many animal species such as the wolf and the golden eagle, vast beech forests and an endemic flora that botanists are delighted to see, with rare species such as the Primula appenninica, a variety of primrose. The Parco nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna, in the heart of the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines, stretches over the south-western part of the province of Forlì-Cesena and the north-eastern part of Tuscany. The park protects an exceptional forest ecosystem, among the best preserved in Europe, and the largest population of wolves in the northern Apennines. Monte Falterona, on the Tuscan side, rises to 1,645 m and it is on its slopes that the source of the Arno, the river that runs through Florence and Pisa, springs.The Adriatic coast, paradise for birdwatchers
The coastal face is characterized by its long sandy beaches attracting seaside tourism, but also by vast protected areas. The Parco Regionale del Delta del Po covers an area of more than 500 km2. In addition to the Po Delta, it includes the mouths of other rivers of Emilia-Romagna (the Reno and Bevano). The park has wetlands consisting of marshes, brackish water and peat bogs with a rich ecosystem. They are the refuge of numerous ornithological species that find here an ideal nesting environment. It is a paradise for birdwatching enthusiasts who come here to observe migratory birds and sedentary species: pink flamingos, herons, kingfishers, russetbirds, wild ducks... The marshes of Comacchio, the largest wetland in Italy, are home to over 300 species of birds and a wide variety of fish including eels, the culinary speciality of the area. Further south, the Cervia Saltworks Park, with its 827 ha of salt extraction ponds, is an important stopover along the migratory routes used by birds. Colonies of pink flamingos can be seen here, which have come to feast onArtemia salina, a small red crustacean that feeds on algae and detritus, helping to naturally clean the water of the saltworks. Finally, several forests and pinewoods are protected, such as the Mesola forest in the province of Ferrara and the Class pinewood near Ravenna. The vegetation consists of coastal trees: umbrella pine, holm oak, willow, poplar. A varied fauna evolves here: mammals (deer, red fox, badger, ferret), birds (woodpecker, egret, tawny owl), reptiles (marsh turtle, viper, snake).
