Reserves and natural oasis
Fara S. Martino - Palombaro

It is located in the middle of the Majella Madre, it is made by 4202 ha closed within two homonymous communes in the province of Chieti. Particularly beautiful from a scenic point of view are the Gole di Fara S. Martino: a suggestive gorge few meters wide, that was created by the erosion determined by the corrosive action of the waters. According to ancient said, this gorge was made by the incredible strength of S. Martino's arms who supposedly divided the two parts of the mountain: this is an evident transposition of the Hercules myth into the Christian culture. Such a corrosive action created the Vallone di Fara, 14 kms long, where there is a difference in height of 2400 mts between the highest part and the bottom of it. It could be divided into three parts: the first one goes from the entrance to the Bocca dei Valloni, is named Vallone di S. Spirito after a cave with the same name; the central part, characterized by a large beech wood, is called Macchia Lunga; the last one, Valle Cannella, ends with a glacial circle plenty of dolines and shallow holes.
Parallel to the Valle di Fara, there are two other valleys: Vallone del Fossato and Val Serviera. In this reserve there are also many caves that once had been used as places of worship and as shelters for shepherds and brigands. The man presence in this area dates back to very ancient times, in fact, some Bronze age very important archaeological finds were discovered not far from Capo le Macchie. The flora is composed by more than 1500 species. On the lowest rocks vegetate the Holm-oak, the strawberry-tree; the Terebinth and the uncommon Dyer's broom of Valenza.
The most interesting vegetation is the one that grows in rupicolous environments and namely: the Cavolini's bell flower, the Auricola, the Potentilla appenninica. There is also the Austrian pine, a sub-species of the Corsican pine, that is 520 years old. In the Valle di Macchia Lunga there is a large beech underwood vegetation where the extremely rare Corallorhiza trifida orchid grows.
In the internal areas when the beech wood comes dose to the Mountain pine, uncommon species can be easily found, i.e.: Pyrola chlorantha, Lonicera nigra and the Venus's slipper, the largest among the Italian orchids. Where the mountain pine wood is absent, there are bushes such as the Dwarf Juniper, the Bearberry, and the Sabin Juniper. To the rocky environment is connected the presence of the Golden Eagle, the Peregrine, the Lanner falcon and the elegant Wallcreeper. The Mountain pine houses the Crossbill and the Rock Partridge, which is also the symbol of the Reserve.
In Fara S. Martino there is an operating visit center.

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State reserves

Colle di Liccio and Feudo Intramonti

Lake of Pantaniello

Orfento Valley

Santa Filomena Pine-Wood

Feudo Ugni

Fara S. Martino Palombaro

Lake of Campotosto

Monte Rotondo

Lama Bianca

Monte Velino

Quarto Santa Chiara