Trekking in the Apennines. Gillian Price
predator. The ancient Romans, ever the epicures, brought it over from Africa for its tasty flesh, a great delicacy at banquets (along with dormouse).
Anti-social badgers, on the other hand, leave grey tubes of excrement, but in discreet spots, unlike the foxes whose droppings adorn prominent stones. One of the few forest dwellers active in the daytime is the acrobatic squirrel, easily seen in mid-flight scrambling up the trunk of a pine. The clearest sign of their presence are well-chewed pine cones together with a shower of red scales at the foot of the trees.
In the wake of centuries-long persecution due to fear and ignorance, combined with increasing pressure by man destroying forests and enlarging settlements and pasture, wolves disappeared completely from view in the 1960s. However, sightings of these magnificent creatures are now regular occurrences along the Apennine chain as the population has expanded successfully northwards, recent studies confirming their safe arrival in the Alps. Rather smaller than their North American cousins, the Apennine males weigh in around 25–35kg. Their coat is tawny grey in winter with brown-reddish hues in the summer period. They were afforded official protection as of the 1970s. Stable packs have been reported since the 1980s, aided by the increase in wildlife, and therefore food: wild boar is their favourite prey, though they do not disdain roe deer, sheep and other livestock, for which shepherds receive compensation. Look out for their droppings – dark boar hairs account for the pointy extremity.
Darting lizards such as the eye-catching bright-green variety scuttle through dry leaves, warned off by passing walkers. At the opposite end of the speed scale is the ambling but unbelievably dramatic fire salamander, prehistoric in appearance and splashed yellow and black. Long believed capable of passing unharmed through fire, it inhabits beech woods and damp habitats, the females laying their eggs in streams. A rare relative is the so-called ‘spectacled’ salamander, endemic to the Apennines, and recognisable by yellow-orange patches on its head.
Tiny Lago Martini is passed on the way to Passo del Giovarello (Stage 21)
Birds include the omnipresent cuckoo, a constant companion, as well as squawking European jays flying between the treetops, bright blue metallic plumage glinting, sounding the general alarm for other creatures of the woodland. The elusive woodpecker can be heard rat-tat-tatting rather than be seen. Huge grey-black hooded crows are common in fields, as are colourful pheasants which give themselves away with a guttural coughing croak. Nervous ground-nesting partridges take flight from open bracken terrain with an outraged loud, clucking cry.
Birds of prey range from small hawks and kestrels through to magnificent red kites and buzzards, and even the odd stately pair of golden eagles on rocky open ground. But the overwhelming majority are the thousands of ‘invisible’ songbirds chirping and whistling overhead as you make your way through the woods; early spring is the best time to see them before the trees regain their foliage. In contrast open hillsides are the perfect place to appreciate the skylarks, their melodious inspirational song sheer delight, though more often than not they will be upset by the presence of intruders and make frantic attempts to distract attention from their ground nests. On a warm summer’s day huge screeching numbers of house martins, swifts and swallows form clouds around high summits, attracted by the insects conveyed upwards by air currents; they are also commonly seen in villages, as they swoop below eaves and clay-straw nests sheltering their ever-hungry youngsters.
On sunny terrain, especially in the proximity of abandoned shepherds’ huts and farmland, snakes may be seen preying on small rodents or lizards. The grey-brown smooth snake, green snake and a fast-moving coal-black type are harmless, though the common viper or adder, light grey with diamond markings, can be dangerous if not given time to slither away to safety. Remember that it will only usually attack if it feels threatened. While not especially numerous, the viper should be taken seriously as a bite can be life-threatening. In the unlikely event that a walker is bitten by a viper (vipera in Italian), immobilise the limb with broad bandaging and get medical help as fast as possible – call 118.
Old paved way above Boscolungo (Stage 16)
At medium altitudes, a postprandial stroll through light woodland on a balmy summer’s evening may well be rewarded with the magical sight of fireflies in the undergrowth.
A special mention goes to the humble red wood ant, easily observed in the Abetone forest. They construct enormous conical nests in coniferous forests, which they then protect by devouring damaging parasites. The nests are home to hundreds of thousands of workers which can live up to the venerable age of 10 years, and queens that can survive to the ripe old age of 20!
Last but not least, mention must be made of ticks (zecche in Italian). While not exactly in plague proportions, they should not be ignored as the very rare specimen may carry life-threatening Lyme disease. Ticks prefer open areas where grass and shrubs grow and they can attach themselves to warm-blooded animals or walkers. A good rule is to check your body at the end of the day for tiny foreign black spots, an indication they may be gorging themselves on your blood. Remove the creature carefully using tweezers – avoid the temptation to employ a twisting motion, and be sure to get the head out – and disinfect the skin. Recommended precautionary measures include wearing long light-coloured trousers, tucked into socks, and spraying boots, clothing and hat (but not skin!) with an insect repellant containing Permethrin. More information is available at www.lymeneteurope.org. Doctors consulted will usually prescribe a course of antibiotics as a precautionary measure. Another line is to keep an eye on the affected skin for a week or so and seek medical advice if any swelling or unusual irritation/itching appears.
Plants and flowers
The plant life in the Apennines is essentially Mediterranean in nature. Generally speaking the southern domains are characterised by Turkey oak and evergreen lentisks with spreads of scrubby maquis, gradually replaced by woodlands of beech, pine and chestnut the further north you go. Beech is predominant from the 900m mark and can be seen growing as high as 1700m. This is a guarantee of memorable colours both in spring with a delicate fresh lime green, then a continuum of vivid reds, oranges and yellows in autumn. A brilliant contrast is provided by the darker plantations of evergreens, silver fir and spruce. The most memorable forests are to be found in the Casentino (Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi), long exploited for shipbuilding: over the 16th to 19th centuries trunks with a minimum girth of 6m and a height of 28m were dragged by teams of oxen to the River Arno and floated via Florence to Pisa to become masts for the navy. In the 1300s timber was also used as scaffolding for Florence’s monumental duomo. Lower down, starting at 400m, are spreading chestnut woods, long cultivated as the mainstay of many an Apennine community for both timber and fruit, once dried and ground into nutritious flour.
Clockwise from top left: orange lily, lady orchid, broom, blue gentians, houseleeks
In the wake of the ice ages the northernmost regions of the Apennines were ‘invaded’ by alpine plant types in search of warmer conditions, the spruce and alpenrose being typical examples. Walkers will be surprised at the elevated number of alpine flowers on high altitude meadows and grassy ridges. Burgundy-coloured martagon or orange lilies vie for attention with an amazing range of gentians, from the tiny star-shaped variety through to the fat bulbous exemplar and even the more unusual purple gentian, a rich ruby hue. Clumps of pale pink thrift adorn stony ridges. A rarer sight are glorious rich red peonies, while longer-lasting light-blue columbines are another treat on stonier terrain.
Flower buffs will appreciate the delicate endemic rose-pink primrose, which grows on sandstone cliffs in the northern Apennines, and hopefully the less showy but equally rare Apennine globularia, a creeping plant with pale-blue flowers. Spring walkers will enjoy the colourful spreads of delicate corydalis blooms, wood anemones, perfect posies of primroses, meadows of violets and the unruly-headed tassel hyacinth. Soon afterwards the predominant bloom is scented broom that covers hillsides with bright splashes