Fall Foliage in Emilia-Romagna

We all know autumn is the most colorful season of the year and there is nothing better than living it surrounded by nature.
In the silence of the woods, in the company of its “inhabitants”, delighted by its scents: an almost mystical experience, able to regenerate us as we never thought.
The best time is between the end of October and the beginning of November, when green gives way to a thousand shades, from brown to purple-red, from yellow to orange.
A feast for the eyes and the soul: just enter the woods to breathe pure beauty.

Ready to get lost in the colors of autumn on a Fall Foliage short break in Emilia-Romagna? Prepare your camera lenses and your smartphone!

A life-long phenomenon of custom in Canada and the United States, in recent years the foliage (the period in which the leaves change color) is becoming a form of tourism in Italy too. In Autumn every wood/forest is subject to this transformation, but there are also some special places where the phenomenon takes on extraordinary proportions.

There’s no need to go far: one of the most colorful forests in Europe is very close, easily accessible, and even dedicates a festival to the Fall Foliage. Obviously, we’re talking about the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park, that has been awarded by Unesco.

Lying on the slopes of the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines, they boast an exceptional geographical position between two great areas, the Mediterranean one and the European one, with over 40 species of trees: an authentic explosion of colors and different shades that make this landscape a magical and natural palette.
Vast beech woods and, at lower altitudes, maple, lime, and elm woods with a high rate of foliage await us.

Fall Foliage - Where to go

In the Casentinesi Forests National Park:

on top of Penna Mount, overlooking the Lama Forest;
in the Campigna Forest, going up from the town to Passo della Calla along the Granducale mule track;
in the Acquacheta Valley;
on the Tiravento Mount going up from Premilcuore.

But the rest of the region also reserves special places, such as:

the wood (firs and larches) of Pratizzano in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park;
the Lagdei Refuge (beech trees), again in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park;
the Lagastrello mountain pass in the Reggio Emilia’s Apennines;
the Ventasso Lake, also called Calamone Lake, (beech, oak, and chestnut trees) again in the Reggio Emilia’s area;
the Natural Reserve of Bosco della Frattona (oaks and downy oaks) not far from Imola;
the Sillaro Valley (Turkey oaks, downy oaks, and black hornbeams) in the Bolognese Apennines;
the many Emilia-Romagna vineyards where depending on the grape variety, we can admire shades of gold, magenta red, burgundy;
our cities, if embellished with linden trees, Ginkgo Biloba, and wild cherry trees.