The Orecchiella's Park, is located on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, on the other side of the Garfagnana, on a large limestone plateau dominated by the Pania of Corfino.
This is an area protected by the State Forestry Corps composed of impressive forests of beech, chestnut and fir trees, with, again today, hosted and protected numerous species of wild animals, as the Apennine wolf, deer, roe deer, mouflon and wild boar, grouse and black bears. The skies are dominated by raptors such as hawks and eagles.

It stretches for 52 square km, from 600 m to 2045 m asl in the communes of Piazza al Serchio, San Romano, Sillano and Villa Collemandina; adjacent to the Giant's Park, on the ridge Tosco-Emiliano, with which it forms a vast area of great natural value.
The park occupies a vast area with trails that have varying levels of difficulty, where nature reigns supreme, but where there are childcare and education for the many visitors.

To visit:
- "Pania di Corfino Botanical Garden" Built in 1984 on the initiative of the Mountain Community of the Garfagnana, hosts the most significant plant species of the Orecchiella's Park.
The Garden is located in a large clearing in the beech forest on the southern flank of the Pania of Corfino, at 1370 meters asl in the Orecchiella Natural Park.
Among the species grown and harvested, there are rare plants and endangered, and the natural flora of the Apennines of Lucca used in traditional folk medicine and nutrition of the population of the Garfagnana.
The visit to the Botanical Garden not only allows the observation of many plant species but also the meaning of a short hike through the reconstruction of the natural environment of the Apennine of Lucca, such as heath, the cliffs, screes, and peat bogs, grasslands and forests.
Located inside the Visitors Center of State Forestry.
- "Mountain Flower Garden" where you can walk among colorful plant species.
- Diorama, scale setting that recreates scenes of various kinds, which reconstructs scenes of animal and plant life present at the site of the park are well kept and can be visited in a short time.

The Visitor Centre of the State Forestry Corps, made up of three floors, is an essential reference point for the Park.
The Centre operates a technical department, a guesthouse, a library and a research lab, meeting room projections and the Naturalistic Museum "Museo Naturalistico di Storia del Territorio e del Paesaggio dell'Appennino Tosco Emiliano" .
The Nature Museum is designed to develop interactive teaching units with the public schools that addressed both to all visitors.
Inside, environmental issues are addressed, reproduced the typical environments, rebuilt all aspects of the natural environment of the Orecchiella: the beech woods, the high-altitude meadows, rock walls and pastures.

Information for visits:
tel: 0583-955525; 0583-955526 (State Forestry Corps, "Corpo Forestale dello Stato" - Lucca) 0583/619002 - 619098 (Orecchiella Center) fax: 0583-953775

How to arrive:
From Lucca, 12 SS Brenner, until Chifenti; SS 445 to Castelnuovo Garfagnana;
Then, SS 324 to Castiglione Garfagnana; Corfino to SP, from where it is reported the Park (67 km from Lucca). From San Romano in Garfagnana take the provincial road SP No 16, free parking available for campers and coaches.
Public transport: Train to Castelnuovo Garfagnana, Piazza al Serchio and then minibus hire.
Or
from the village of Villa Collemandina continue to Corfino, and from there to the Orecchiella 7 km away.
The journey takes about 30 minutes drive through areas of exceptional beauty with breathtaking views which are only a prelude than what you'll find in the Park.

Links:
- Orecchiella's Park: reserve orecchiella, Orecchiella's Park, visitor center Orecchiella, corfino, botanical garden, Garden Mountain La Greppia, pania di corfino, mountain dew Isera archeologiasperimentale.it

- The Country Nature Reserves of Orecchiella parcoappennino.it, tuscany-charming.it