Selvasecca Forest Reserve, Lucomagno

The starting point is the Centro Pro Natura in Acquacalda. Following the "Sentiero Lucomagno" and "Sentieri naturalistici del Lucomagno" signs, you soon reach the edge of the Forest Reserve. The route is then marked white-red-white, and is easy to follow.

Immediately, an astonishing world appears characterized by rocks, logs, branches, and exposed roots. In the silence, the Norway spruce and Swiss stone pine show themselves, some exuberant and heavily branched, others broken by the wind sweeping these places: an environment that is for much of the year the realm of snow and cold.

We observe the long, tough needles of the Swiss stone pine, grouped in bundles of five. The forest is bright, occasionally shady, with intriguing recesses. We inhale into our bodies the molecules suspended in the forest air, the same that enter the trees.

The Swiss stone pine, a very long-lived tree, is rich in fragrant resin. Some say these are energetic places. Energetic, in any case, is the roar of the male deer searching in autumn for the females to mate with. Here and there the undergrowth is made up of juniper and Alpine rose. It is worth bending down to observe the mosses clinging to the rocks, sometimes dry and pale, sometimes swollen with rain and very green. They are equipped for any condition. The closer you get, the more beautiful they are, like a miniature forest.

The path flows gently between forest and open areas. It leads to Alpe Stabbio Nuovo. Here you turn right and descend to the Brenno river, which you then follow back to Acquacalda. Overall, the route requires about an hour and a half of walking (without stops), with ascents and descents just over 200 meters.