The Prade Garfagnine is a natural oasis located on a green grassy plateau, surrounded by verdant woods, at about 1000 metres above the sea level.
It is an enchanted landscape of lush clearings, hazelnut trees with the presence of a small fresh water spring. Here, it is possible to visit the typical “capannelli”, tiny huts used by the shepherds during the pastures, when they moved up to the Alpe with their cattle. The huts were built by both the inhabitants of Ceserana and by the people of the bordering villages a few centuries ago.
Given the recent use of the Prade as a community area, many believe that this place might have originally been a sort of ancient “compasqua”, a common-use area, at the time of the Liguri Apuani and the Friniati who inhabited these Apennine mountains.
Today, in summer time, the Prade comes to life thanks to the tourists who decide to spend some of their time immersed in the magic of this place. The huts are crowded with people, and it is not unusual to find young adults using the clearings as a sort of camping site. The Prade is an oasis of tranquillity, also ideal for stays focused on environmental education.
For years, the remaining shepherds have organised an important summer event at the Prade Garfagnine.
The area can be reached from the village of La Villa, through a road immersed in the woods and rearranged in an environmentally sustainable manner. It can also be reached from the tourist estate of Il Ciocco, through tracks and paths.
From the Prade Garfagnine it is possible to reach on foot the Apennine Mountain pass Bassa del Saltello, which used to be the main way to reach Emilia, especially for those who lived in Ceserana, Lupinaia, Barga and Sillico, as the paths coming from the aforementioned villages converged on this important crossing.
