26-02-2013 019.jpg

When the snow covers the territory of the National Park, it gives its landscapes shades and colours unobtainable in other seasons. Paradoxically, the white colour that covers everything exalts and spreads the light with intensity and in directions that make everything look new. The clear and crystalline air of the icy Winter mornings allows an attentive observer, positioned on the main ridge of the Park, to wander with a view of two seas, to marvel at the Alps, to face up to the mountains of the central Appennino like the Catria, the Nerone, and the Sibillini. Not infrequently the winds full of humidity coming from Tuscany rise and cool on the Giogana unloading mists that turn into frost, jewels of ice that shine like Christmas lights as soon as the clear weather returns. Winter is also the season when it seems that nature stops, that everything remains dormant, that everything is sleeping, but just wear a pair of snowshoes, walk along the beautiful paths of the Park accompanied by the inevitable hiking map or a more modern app (PNFC Trekking Map), to realize that everything around us is moving. The trees, despite being bare, seem to breathe under the light wind or even stretch when the wind caresses them more intensely. In the fir woods and beech forests the rare and famous black woodpecker beats the rotting trunks of ancient trees intensely in search of precious food, the sharp and almost croaking song of the Ceséna bird accompanies us to the lowest altitudes and with her the groups of Lucherini birds, the Cince, with their unmistakable calls, or the goldcrest with its sharp chirping. With a little luck and a careful eye, it will also be possible to see the traces on the snow of many of the inhabitants of the forest, first of all the wolf. Its footprints, large and similar to those of a large dog, can be distinguished from those of the latter because they will almost always follow a path in a straight line and will not be scattered in various directions; in addition, those of the hind legs will be overlapped with those of the forepaws and the resulting track will be formed of individual footprints one after the other. In short, despite appearances, the winter inside the Park is an extremely rich and stimulating season from every point of view and whether there is snow, calm, or rain, every day will give visitors unique and unrepeatable emotions. So do not hesitate to visit us and discover this beautiful protected area.