Natural wonders are not uncommon in this world but still there are places, which claim the personal attention of Mother Nature perhaps for the reason that Mother Nature has her abode in such places. The rare combination of the nature’s artistry with diversity can be relished in very few places in this globe and among those is the location called Parco regionale delle alpi apuane or the Regional Park of the Apuane Alps. Established in 1985 in the provinces of Lucca and Massa this park has an enourmous space of nearly 21000 hectares and the artistry is spread across every inch and corner of the entire place. Often called as the park of the marble mountain it forms the grand backdrop of the beautiful Versilia beaches. The sight gives conspicuous hint of wonders created by the rocks with the arches, pinnacles and the subterranean karstic features. One may wonder if such beauty of nature was overlooked by the lovers and priests of arts like Michelangelo who personally selected the stones for his later creations of masterpieces. The Apuane is known and appreciated by the rest of the world for its immense reserves of marbles, their deep abysses, their deep valleys, the great cavities of the subsoil and its varied flora and fauna. The stones like cipollino, breccias and cardoso have traveled across the globe far from their home for its fame.

The climate of the park can be termed good taking an average opinion for the entire year with a good rain, average temperature above fifteen degree centigrade and in some slopes of the apuane cold months of 4-5 a year although the influence of the sea cannot be ignored.

The park is blessed with an enormous reserve of flora mainly because of the climatic condition and the various nature of the stones having siliceous base and surface and carbonate in the middle. The array of vegetation includes the Mediterranean marquis covering the piedmont strip to the oak woods and mixed woods largely dominated by the hornbeams. Sometimes the beach tree woods catch the eyes of spectators with its amazing 1000 m height making its appearance even more gala and grand. The rare and lush mountain grassland nests a rich stock of greenery, which is finely carved to catch the breath of the spectators. Taking about the animal kingdom those nests in this magnificent park hints toward the larger form of mammals like wolf, deer, lynx, and bear. Although the other forms can equally be appreciated looking its remark ability in its existence such as the chiropters hiding in the depts. of the caves and the snow-mole. The wild goats and the mouflons are the recent inclusion to the park. The aviators of the park certainly are the one who needs to be adored by the bird watchers. The Chough, which also features in the emblem of the park, is found in abundance in few peaks of the park. The northern part of the chain nests the famous golden eagle. Others to mention are the red-legged partridge, the swallow and the alpine accentor. To mark the reptiles of the park we have the beautiful spectacled salamander, the Italian cave salamander and the alpine newt.

Now to talk about more specifically about the attractions of the place we need to point out certain specific point of the place. Few to highlight are the spectacular arch of Mt.Forato which can be seen miles away from the sea and Garfagnana and believed to be the creation of the combined effect of karst phenomenon both in superficial and subterranean level, erosion and the touch of atmosphere in the end. Much to appreciate equally is the Marmitte dei Giganti, which are half spherical cavities, which may be perfectly smoothed inside calcareous rock. These geomorphological phenomenons’s can be traced in canals descending into the Turrite Secca in Mt.Tambura and by the Valle degli Alberghi. Man also has contribution in a way in some of the visual delights of nature created by his own endeavor. Mining is one such activity affecting the park. The vast recourse of marbles in and around the park has made mining inevitable looking into the huge financial involvement and the scope of source of income. The landscape thus from has taken its own shape in an interesting way with its cuts, ravines, slopes and fractures making the entire episode an unique one. The major concentration of the marble quarries is in the town of Carrara. For the botanists and nature lover yet another treat is the botanic gardens “Pietro Pellegrini” in loc. Pian della Fioba, in the municipality location of Massa. The garden situated in the heart of heart of Alpi Apuane provides facility of mountain hut lab for researchers, a limited resource of the floristic heritage and an array of botanical collection foe the botanists and plant lovers. One cannot skip the LIPU Nature Sanctuary on a tour to Alpi Apuane. The famous nature reserve was earlier known as A3 and ranges from Mt.Roccandagia to Mt.Sumbra through Alto di Sella and Mt.Fiocca. The centre is equipped with a visitor centre, nature trail, bird watching points and other nature loving activities. Last but not least to mention is the museum of Parco delle Apuane located in the medieval village of Casola in Lunigiana. The museum elaborates the existence of human settlement narrating from the Paleolithic to present day through the age of metal, the ligurians, the Romanization and so on.

Come take a big leap into the tender and inviting lap of Mother Nature so that she can heal up all your sorrows and grief. You can make an easy trip by landing in the international airport of Galileo Galilei in Pisa further moving to location Cinquale, 5 km from Forte dei Marmi (Versilia) to a small tourist airport. Here starts the quest for serenity.