Visiting the Parma Appennines by camper is always a good idea: in spring, you can admire the blossoming flowers, in summer you can enjoy the cool mountain air, in autumn, you can taste our typical products and in winter, you can enjoy a snow excursion.
The Appenines divide Parma from Tuscany and Liguria, and offer splendid mountain paths and ancient towns that keep alive the knowhow of local artisans. We go to the Parma Valley!
Discoving the Parma Valley by camper
The beauty of the camper is the freedom to decide right at the last moment where to go, to decide which road to take even as you reach a junction, the freedom to change your mind, a fantastic luxury for those who love travelling on the road. This gives you in turn the freedom to choose where to stop for the night. This is only one of the reasons why we created “In Camper con Gusto”: one of our aims is to offer the public a series of “night stays” that can meet all your needs. Ok, fine, the Appennines by camper, but where to go?
So here is a intinerary to follow to discover the splendid Parma Valley. We leave from the city itself, and head towards the Castle at Torrechiara, a place lost in time amidst vineyards and gentle hills. Once past Langhirano, the home of Parma Ham, we reach the junction for Pastorello: stay on the right, heading towards the Parma river on SP13. After Beduzzo, we reach Corniglio, the first of our stops.
Corniglio is a small medieval village where you can park your camper. You should visit the castle, and the ancient stone bridge, evidence of the passage of travellers between Lunigiana and the province of Parma. The town was awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valour, for the sacrifices of its population and participation in the partisan movement during WW2.
Here you can taste excellent Parma Ham, and the unmissable mountain Parmigiano Reggiano. Another delight is the meat of the Parma black pig, that you find in restaurants in the town. After Corniglio, our road takes us to Bosco, the entrance to the Park of the Hundred Lakes. Covering 12,600 hectares, this regional park is a favoured destination for sports tourists and lovers of excursionism, either on bike or foot. You can park your camper near the gates. Here, there are two roads you can take: the first is 6km long and takes you to the Gemini Lakes, while the second is 2km long and goes to Lagdei, where again you can park your camper in the rest-area. Here we are 1,200 metres up, and the evening air is decidely refreshing even in summer.
There are endless excursionist options for lovers of trekking, especially: :
the slope to Lago Santo, the largest and deepest in the province;
the slop up to the top of Monte Orsaro;
a walk around the Gemini lakes (the “Lagoni”);
the path that goes to Lago Scuro;
the splendid bathing huts at Badignana.
To lose yourself in dreamy walks, you can continue as far as the Lagastrello Pass, where you can admire the peak with its lakes and wells of glacial origin (we are 1,800 metres up).
Have dinner at the Lagdei mountain refuge, a genuine delight for the palate!
This is the map
