Fall Foliage in Tuscany

FALL FOLIAGE IN TUSCANY

Autumn, season of mushrooms, chestnuts, new olive oil and…Fall Foliage!
Yes you have understood well! This amazing season allows us not only to appreciate the food and wine specialties of this period of the year, but also to admire of the shifting colours of trees and plants that are preparing for winter.
From Kilometro Inverso we can’t wait to reveal and share with you this phenomenon. This is all you need to know:

WHAT IS FALL FOLIAGE?

It’s a passion that developed in the United States and in Northern America whose objective is to pursue the amazing show offered by nature in autumn: extended green areas that turn into incredible and spectacular yellow, orange, red and purple landscapes. The Americans love this phenomenon to the extent that they have designed specific tools, available online that measure and predict in advance the change of colour of the forests such as this one:

WHY DO THE FORESTS CHANGE COLOUR??

In the cells of tree leaves you can trace a number of pigments such as carotenoid (organic pigment that gives the characteristic colour to carrots and corn) and anthocyanin (responsible for the red to violet plant pigment typical of red fruits) that normally remain invisible and covered by the traditional green pigment of chlorophyll (the organic pigment that has the vital function of capturing solar rays and uses the resulting energy to manufacture the plant’s food).
However in autumn when the leaves get closer to the end of their life cycle and the chlorophyll diminishes, the yellow-orange pigments of carotenes and other pigments become more evident and prevail over the traditional green pigment!

WHERE TO ADMIRE FALL FOLIAGE IN TUSCANY?

In Italy, the most amazing shows are revealed by the mountain forests and in Tuscany in the specific, the highest peaks are reached in the National Park of the Casentino Forests and on the
Mount Amiata, These are the places that we recommend to visit for Fall Foliage in Tuscany this autumn:

The VERNA

Magnificent pearl of the Casentino, the Verna hosts the homonym Franciscan Sanctuary and a secular beech wood forest full of legends and mysteries. Walking thru these giants, the contrast
between the colours of the leaves, the chalky rocks and the green moss is extraordinary. Along the trail you can also admire from the hillside the expanse of woods and forests that offer an
incredible performance, just like the palette of a painter.

CASENTINO FORESTS

The National Park of the Casentino Forests is an incredible oasis of animal and plant biodiversity that ensures a magnificent show in autumn. The presence of different types of trees guarantees that the tones of these woods have infinite shades of colour.
Exploring the Forest of Lama, in the specific, you enter and pass through pure forests that with the presence of beech trees, maple trees, alders, spruces, hazelnut trees grant a breath-taking show. It is also possible in this area to run along the Reserve of Sasso Fratino, a closed off area well known for its secular plants.

MOUNT AMIATA

This elevation that is the highest peak in the Province of Siena with its 1738 meters was originally a former volcano. This feature ensures a magical atmosphere that in time has attracted many colonizers, amongst which the first were the Etruscans. Some locals have also nicknamed it our “Mount Fuji” due to the profile it has if you look at it from the surroundings of Cortona.
Here, even if not many people are aware of it, there is the biggest beech wood forest in Europe and if you begin the exploration from Vivo d’Orcia you can enjoy by foot the trail that cover the chestnut and beech tree belts and the amazing shades of colour offered by their leaves.

ours Walking tours and hiking