more...the locality
This National Park of the Giant offers a wide variety of way-marked paths to explore. There are many wild-flowers and animals to appreciate and many more miracles of nature to experience. Magical Tinkerbell-like fireflies throughout the month of June contrast with Winter Wonderland after a snowfall. The colours of the trees in autumn are magnificent, and in August you can see shooting stars at night, culminating on the 15 august when you can see a shooting star every 4 minutes.
There are rock pools and waterfalls, easily accessible mountain peaks, woods and forests, and also many local traditions to enjoy.
The Pietra di Bismantova is a spectacular gigantic rock formation that you can go to the top of by foot in twenty minutes. There are over 250 fixed climbing routes and three via ferratas. There is also an ancient church at the bottom built into the rock.
There are other via ferratas in the area to climb and local groups can organise lessons and experiences such as canyoning.
Febbio is the local ski resort with the chairlift is also open in summer so you can reach the top of the ridge that forms the border of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. There are downhill mountain bike trails for those who have brought their bikes up with them. In Febbio there are ski shops, snowboard hire and also bike hire facilities.
There are regular musical concerts with bands and choirs. x, and exhibitions and traditional art forms.The 'Presepe' exhibition at Gazzano is a show of village scenes built with intelligent distorted use of perspective that make them seem even more three dimensional. The 'Live Presepe' before Christmas is when the old part of Villa Minozoz is transformed into a live nativity scene with over a hundred locals becoming actors as you are transported to a world from 2000 years ago. IN summer the 'Maggio' is a sung story that is performed in the villages.
Food, of course, is important and you can try traditional dishes at the many local restaurants. You can visit parmesan cheese makers, specialised balsamic vinegar producers or indulge in other local products such as wine, cheese, and pasta.