Tuscany (Italy) > Reviews (29)

Established in 1985, it occupies approximately 534 square kilometres and includes the whole Apuan ridge which, being oriented north/west to south/west, separates the Serchio valley from the coast of Versilia.

The Apuan Alps are one of the most typical and unique mountain areas in Italy. Characterized by a harsh morphology, with deep valleys and steep slopes, within few miles, from the short flatland of Versilia or the bottom of the Serchio valley, it reaches a level of nearly 2,000 metres.

The giddy, almost vertical, mountain walls, among which Pizzo d'Uccello, with its more than 800 metres' difference in height, stands out to the north, are mountaineers' and rock climbers' paradise. Thousands of excursionists flow every year to the tracks and huts spread all over the ridge. Known since time immemorial for the beauty of their marble, they are to be considered one of the utmost expressions of the karst phenomenon. Here are, actually, deep cavities and impressive mazes of tunnels and underground passages, which, in the Corchia cave, extend for more than 38 miles with a difference in heigth of up to 1,210 metres, making it the largest underground system in Italy and one of the largest in the world.

The varied nature of the rocks and the exposure of the slopes subsequently produced an extremely varied vegetation, ranging from typical Mediterranean underbrush to high-altitude beechwoods. Many are the endemic species or those remaining from ancient glaciations. Among the animals, there are no longer the big mammals of the past, also due to the local development of human activities, especially quarrying activities, even if some noteworthy species remain, such as some rare or even endemic species which typically live amidst the rocks. Let's mention the presence of the golden eagle and the rare coral chough, which has become the symbol of the Park.