The Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Lucano Val d’Agri Lagonegrese is an open-air 'gym', where adventure intertwines with nature and every outdoor activity becomes an authentic way to fully experience the landscape.
In the park's many habitats, from mountain ranges to river valleys and lakes, you can enjoy experiences ranging from pure adrenaline to slow and mindful discovery of the area.
From suspension bridges that challenge the sky to long hikes, each experience offers special emotions: you can explore on horseback, walk in the silence of the woods and rediscover yourself, breathe in the energy of the mountains and enjoy the snow that transforms the mountain landscapes into fairy-tale scenery.
Between the walls to climb, the flights of rare birds, the paths scented with medicinal herbs and the traces of ancient history, the Park offers a sensory journey that enriches and regenerates, where sport, culture and wellbeing intertwine to offer intense moments of life in every season.
The official guides of the Parco Appennino Lucano offer valuable support to visitors; thanks to their experience, they help visitors to enjoy the park to the full.
Among the most thrilling experiences that the Parco Appennino Lucano has to offer are the large suspension bridges that characterise the landscape of two picturesque villages perched on the rocks, Sasso di Castalda and Castelsaraceno, located respectively to the north and south of the protected area.
In Sasso di Castalda, the Ponte alla Luna (Bridge to the Moon) has become the symbol of a new way of experiencing the mountains: a long walkway suspended over a hundred metres above the Fosso Arenazzo canyon, part of an intricate system of paths, via ferrata routes and crossings that starts in the historic centre and leads into the monumental beech forest of Costara. Here, you literally walk between heaven and earth, in an experience that combines modern engineering, local history and strong emotions. The Ponte alla Luna is dedicated to Rocco Petrone, a NASA engineer of Saxon origin and a key figure in the Apollo 11 mission.
In Castelsaraceno, on the other hand, is one of the longest Tibetan bridges in Europe, a 586-metre structure suspended 80 metres above the ground, which connects the Parco dell’Appennino Lucano Val d’Agri Lagonegrese to the Pollino Park, offering an adrenaline-filled crossing between woods and rocky walls.
hiking and trekking
An extensive network of hiking trails covers most of the protected area and intersects with the Sentiero Italia trail in several places. It passes through woods, panoramic hills and river valleys, offering itineraries for all levels of fitness. Among the many routes, we recommend, from north to south, those of Rifreddo/Monte Serranetta, the trails of Sellata Maddalena and Monte Pierfaone, the Frassati trail in the Costara forest, Piana del Lago, Fontana delle Brecce and the Calvelluzzo and Lama mountains, Monte Volturino, Saraceno and Sacro Monte di Viggiano with Piana Bonocore, Abetina di Laurenzana and the trails in the Agri valley to Murge di Sant'Oronzo and Gole del Racanello, the trails in the beech forest of Monte Calvarosa and those in the Maglie forest that run alongside Lake Pertusillo to ancient Grumentum, Monte Raparo and Raparello with the Fieghi Cerreto forest, ending in the Lagonegrese area among the highest peaks of the southern Apennines, where the Sirino-Papa massif stands out, home to Lake Laudemio, an enchanting glacial lake. This is a network of well-marked trails that allows you to immerse yourself in environments of great naturalistic and geological value, landscapes and habitats that you can explore even more deeply with the support of the Park's official guides.
Climbing
The wide range of outdoor activities available in the Park also includes climbing, which can be practised both outdoors – for example on the cliffs of Satriano di Lucania – and indoors at the “Bosco dei Cigni” Environmental Education Centre in Grumento Nova.
The Park's CEAS is also a reference point for orienteering activities, nature workshops and outdoor educational trails. Here, as in other Environmental Education Centres located in the protected area, visitors can experience forms of active tourism that combine sport, knowledge and respect for the environment.
equestrian tourism
The Park offers many trails and itineraries for horse riding excursions: you can ride through woods, valleys and villages far from the noise of the world, rediscovering the pleasure of time passing slowly in harmony with nature.
The trails, suitable for both beginners and experienced riders, lead through unspoilt landscapes and places rich in history, with stops at well-equipped and welcoming facilities. These trails offer an immersive experience of nature, traditions and wellbeing in the name of slow tourism. These include a three-stage route from Pignola to Rivello, crossing the park from north to south (reaching Sellata and then Sasso di Castalda and from there arriving at Marsico Nuovo, travelling through the Agri Valley and then continuing towards Lagonegro and Rivello), and a picturesque circular route of about 86 km connecting Laurenzana to Abriola, in the northern part of the park.
Forest bathing
The woods and forests of the Park are also a natural invitation to slow down the pace of life and rediscover the authentic breath of nature. Here, forest bathing becomes a profound experience of well-being: accompanied by certified guides, you can immerse yourself in greenery following the practices of shinrin-yoku, an ancient Japanese discipline. You walk slowly, listen to the silence, breathe in the scent of resin and moss, and rediscover direct contact with the earth. Even a few hours in the woods help to relieve stress and tension, improving your breathing, heart rate and mood. An outdoor activity that regenerates the mind and body, reconnecting humans with nature in its purest form, which can also be enjoyed independently by following marked and safe paths that cross, in particular, beech forests: thanks to the high emissive power of monoterpenes, especially during the summer, beech trees are exceptional for silvotherapy (or forest bathing). The volatile aromatic substances they release, inhaled during a stay in the woods, induce lasting physiological benefits, including stress reduction, lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system, all of which are scientifically proven. Hugging a centuries-old beech tree is, after all, an unmissable experience.
Winter Sports
In winter, the mountains of the Parco Appennino Lucano become ideal settings for snowshoeing and snow hiking, such as in the Pierfaone and Monte Arioso massifs, between Abriola and Sasso di Castalda.
The Sellata-Arioso-Pierfaone ski area, a few kilometres from Potenza, offers a range of winter experiences ranging from downhill skiing to snowshoeing, bobsleighing, snow tubing and sledging. The Fosso Neviera ski lift offers downhill ski slopes surrounded by woods, children's ski schools, magic carpets for beginners and views stretching as far as the peaks of the Apennines. The Montagna Grande di Viggiano (1400 m) offers downhill ski slopes and a cross-country ski trail, also suitable for beginners and families. and if you want to enjoy the snowy landscapes without skiing, you can go Nordic walking, explore trails with snowshoes, or slide down the snowy slopes on toboggans or comfortable snow tubes. In the Monte Sirino area, in the Lagonegrese region, there are the ski resorts of Lago Laudemio, a picturesque glacial lake where you can go Nordic walking, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and those of Conserva di Lauria. Here there are six downhill ski slopes and a circular cross-country ski trail. Two ski lifts provide access to the 'Principianti' and 'Monte Sirino' slopes. A third ski lift connects the slopes of Conserva di Lauria and another serves the 'Conserva1' slopes, which are about 1 kilometre long, and 'Conserva 2'.
Birdwatching and more
The Parco Appennino Lucano is populated by an astonishing variety of birdlife, with over 116 nesting species, including very rare specimens that are indicators of intact ecosystems. It is here that the Egyptian vulture, the red kite and the black stork still fly, and can be admired in the woods, grasslands, vegetation along rivers and lakes, and in the skies above the park.
Birdwatching can be enjoyed freely along Lake Pertusillo, on the banks of the Pantano di Pignola wildlife oasis or along the paths along the banks of the River Agri. At the Wild Lucania Nature Reserve, located near the Murgia di Sant'Oronzo in the territory of San Martino d'Agri, four huts surrounded by greenery are available to enthusiasts, from where it is possible to observe and photograph herons, storks, birds of prey and many other rare species. an outdoor activity that can be combined with themed treks to discover medicinal herbs in the Upper Val d'Agri, which often end with small experiential workshops.
Archaeological walks and starry skies
The outdoor dimension of the Lucanian Apennines is enriched by the many historical and cultural experiences offered by the landscape of the protected area: guided tours of the Grumentum Archaeological Park and the National Museum of the Upper Val d'Agri, where the monumental remains of the ancient Roman city interact with the surrounding landscape, or the Sanctuary of Serra Lustrante in Armento, or the Villa dei Bruttii Praesentes in Barricelle di Marsicovetere, a monumental complex located on the route of the ancient Via Herculia that recounts centuries of history, agricultural work, power and imperial life. Another unmissable experience is climbing the hill of Torre di Satriano in Tito, where the remains of an apsidal residence, an imposing palace and a Lucanian sanctuary (8th century BC-1st century AD) have been found, testifying to the importance of a site with great horizons located on the ancient 'road of foreigners', which connected Metapontum and Paestum.
The stars have always fascinated humanity, inspiring myths, legends and stories. The Parco Appennino Lucano preserves areas with minimal or no light pollution, making the Milky Way visible to the naked eye, unlike elsewhere. Low light pollution is accompanied by high air quality, placing Basilicata among the best regions in Italy in terms of environmental parameters. Under the wonderful blanket of stars that can be enjoyed in the Park, there are many activities dedicated to observing the sky in planetariums and educational spaces such as the Anzi Astronomical Observatory, where you can rediscover the charm of the sky from the summit of Monte Siri, at an altitude of about 1,100 metres.