Enogastronomy and tastes of Tuscany : culinary vacation, cooking classes, wine & oil tours, special tastings

The Orrido di Botri is in the Lucca province, to the border of the Emilia region. It is a tightened canyon that comes down from the Alp of the Three Powers formed as a result of tectonic movements and crossed by icy torrents coming down from the Alps.

Known as "canyon of the Tuscany" the Orrido di Botri is one of the most appreciated naturalistic zones of the Mid Valley of Serchio. Its glacial circuses and the assortment of animals and vegetation constitute reason of great interest for Geologist, Naturalists and Hikers.

The excursion in the Orrido is not particularly difficult even if it is always better to take preventively information about the conditions of the inside or to book an authorized local guide to avoid to loose the way or badly to calculate the time of excursion.
Who does not want to conclude the excursion in a single day, during the summer months can spend the night in the Refuge of Fontana a Troghi, halting place of the Appennine G.E.A trekking route, with 12 sleeps, fireplace and running water, easily joinable by feet from PRATO FIORITO (road to Montefegatesi). During the summer period the Refuge always remains opened while during the other months of the year a reservation is necessary.

Regarding its fauna, between the mammals there are present the roe-deer, the fallow deer, the hare, the squirrel, the beaver, diffused on the Mount Rondinaio, the vixen, the skunk and the marten; a small group of 20 wild goats are a local curiosity.
The avifauna is represented by various species of rapacious like the real Eagle, splendid symbol of the Orrido, the Shepherdesses, the sparrow, the buzzard, the hawk, the kestrel, the mysterious pilgrim and perhaps also the real owl; among the small birds to be noticed the curious water merlon, the yellow dancer, the redstart, the chimney-sweeper, the wheatear, the bunting, the mountain swallow and the woodpecker. Interesting is also the presence of a small nucleus of red pellet.

To preserve the uniqueness and the natural beauties of the Orrido di Botri, a Natural Park has been instituted since 1971 to protect a surface of 286 hectares, management of which is entrusted to the State Forestry Corps, through the State Forests Office of Lucca.
Moreover, the protected area is in the centre of a fauna protection Oasis established in the 1993 from the Province of Lucca on a surface of 2.000 hectares about, where the hunting is completely prohibited.

The Orrido di Botri is an authentic Oasis of wilderness, where the presence of the man never modified the beauty of the places and where it is possible, still today, to meet an extremely rich and interesting flora.
In the sunny rocky areas we find, between the herbaceous species, the saxifrage, the rare columbines and primrose, while inside the canyon, in the humid and shady places, predominate mosses, the hepatic plants and some types of fern. As to the arboreal species the beech, the black hornbeam, the manna-ash and the ilex that is mostly diffused in very sunny rocky places, the maple trees, the willow, the wild lime, laburnum and the rare yew, a always green plant with poisoned leaves.

In order to reach the entrance of the canyon it is necessary to run to the Abetone, therefore in direction of the Garfagnana.The canyon can be reached also from BAGNI DI LUCCA.