Sunday 16 November 2025

The common thread of the whole excursion will be the historical-naturalistic combination typical of the Carrega Woods Park: from the woodland heritage, to the landscape aspects, to the richness of the fauna, without ever losing sight of the historical value of the park with its ducal villas (Villa Casino dei Boschi and Villa del Ferlaro), the tree-lined avenues, the lakes in the woods and the elegance of a distant time that can be breathed in every corner and that still seems to shine today with the colors of autumn.

There are many reasons that have attracted the nobles of Parma (and beyond) to the Boschi di Sala, better known now as the Boschi di Carrega: from the San Vitale to the Farnese, from the Bourbons to the Carrega, passing through the Empress of the French Maria Luigia of Austria: periods of vacation, hunting, leisure and (for everyone) the search for beauty through nature.

Walking along the Maria Amalia beech forest we will leverage the particularity of the beech in this climatic zone (a species characteristic of higher altitudes) to demonstrate the adaptation to the particular microclimate, and we will analyze the environment of the undergrowth typical of the beech forest. Particular attention will be paid to the Grotta di Maria Amalia, a country bath commissioned by the Duchess of Bourbon at the end of the 1700s.

Once you reach the Casino dei Boschi and the Casinetto, particular attention will be paid to the planting of the English Garden wanted by Marie Louise of Austria and specially designed by the Bohemian Carlo Barvitius, also considering the different autumn colors of the trees.

The two empresses, united by the role of prima donnas of France, are also united by the visceral love for the Carrega Woods, a historical parallelism between two women different in origin, character, personality and public and private events will be the trait d’union of the excursion.

The return is scheduled with the passage to the Lake of Flowers and the Montetinto natural lake; In most of the year this last body of water is covered with water lilies, duckweed and other hydrophytes, which make the lake an interesting element of the landscape.

Overall differences in height: negligible

Degree of difficulty: low

Meeting point: Sunday 16 November 2025 at 9.30 a.m. at the Via Case Nuove car park (behind the I Pifferi restaurant), in the municipality of Sala Baganza (PR). https://goo.gl/maps/wRiK5jQBkbyh6r2M9

End of the excursion: 12.30 pm.

Required equipment: “layered” clothing, long trousers, shoes with non-slip soles, waterproof jacket and/or rain cape, comfortable backpack, personal supply of water.

Organizer and Guide: Elisa Lorenzani (GAE)

Participation fee: € 15.00 adults and € 5.00 minors (from 6 years old) – Free of charge Law no. 104/92 and accompanying person

Reservation required: tel 349/4286844, elisa@asininelcuore.it, Facebook and Instagram page: Elisa Lorenzani