- AREA_4
- T_MARZO
- T_APRILE
- T_MAGGIO
- T_GIUGNO
- T_LUGLIO
- T_AGOSTO
- T_SETTEMBRE
- T_OTTOBRE
- PASSION_TREKKING
- SKILL_MEDIA
- T_GENNAIO
- T_FEBBRAIO
- T_NOVEMBRE
- T_DICEMBRE
The Benevento Beeches
- Status Open
- Area Val Bormida
From Mallare to Colla passing by the wooden giants.
An exceptional row of enormous monumental trees, partly fallen under the weight of the years, testify to the evolution of the natural cycle. A hike entirely through woods and springs, with the final destination being the meadows of Colla San Giacomo.
The route starts from the Sanctuary in the locality of Eremita. Proceeding in a zig-zag through the undergrowth and Scots pines, you gain altitude and reach the eastern side of the Bric della Madonna – Bric del Borro ridge. For a good stretch, the forest is dominated by chestnut trees which, after crossing the Bidella stream, give way to beeches; the environment is always shaded and cool.
You pass beside a farmhouse (Casa Benevento): the terraces below, now recolonized by the forest, were once cultivated with potatoes.
The path turns into a dirt track and enters an area rich in springs where, on the left, you find the Benevento Beeches. These are a row of six “matricine”, that is, trees that over the years had been spared cutting so they could regenerate the forest with their fruits. The largest, made of fused trunks, was 34 and a half meters tall with a circumference of 7.7 meters: it took five men joined hand in hand to embrace it. Now the giant lies partly on the ground but continues to amaze.
Continuing, you notice some charcoal platforms where beech wood was stacked to make charcoal. The road widens and when it becomes flat, it is worth looking to the left for a spring of very fresh water.
You emerge into the open grassy clearing of Colla San Giacomo, with picnic tables, a small church with a makeshift shelter always open, and another spring. On clear days, from above the church, the sea can be seen.
