Abetina of Cortino

In Cortino, among beech, oak and black hornbeam forests or in the dense clearings of juniper bushes, there are still some groups of white fir, often in majestic and imposing forms. The white fir, as evidenced by historical documents, was once widely widespread in the Laga mountain range, but today it is only present in some areas of Italy. In the south of our country, white fir was abundant until the decline of the Roman Empire, but the exploitation of the woods destroyed the original forests in the Apennines.

The favorable environment of the Abetina of Cortino (not far from the Monti della Laga) has allowed the conservation of this important forest, which in some sections is madsile up of a pure stand of fir. Once again in this area there was also another Apennine botanical rarity, the birch, which indicates the unmistakable trace of the cold Nordic climates that once descended to this latitude during the invasion of the Quaternary glaciers. Today, however, the tree with the white bark seems to have disappeared, as often happens with the fragile relics of other eras that have survived by a miracle of nature.

In the Pantanelle area, during their flowering period (April/May), it is possible to see several protected species of wild orchids, a sign of the purity of the air in this area of ​​the National Park. It is worth remembering that the so-called "Cortino Valley" is part of the 18 sites of naturalistic interest within the Gran Sasso-Laga Park, identified in 1995 and protected by the European Directive of 1992, which has the aim of safeguarding and protecting in a single system at European level.

Starting from Cortino, a stretch of the "Italia" path begins which, flanking the fence of the Deer Wildlife Area (which has an area of ​​approximately six hectares and is also home to roe deer, chamois and fallow deer), allows you to cross and admire the fir forest, the pride of the area.