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The Orchid Garden in Orvinio: 60 Wild Species in the Heart of the Lucretili Mountains
In the Lucretili Mountains Regional Natural Park, along the road connecting Orvinio to Scandriglia, there is a 600-metre loop trail containing the highest concentration of wild orchids in the entire park — more than 60 species have been recorded in the area. It is called the Orchid Trail, and is marked as CAI trail 309C.
An easy loop, even for occasional walkers
The route is classified T, tourist grade. It takes about 40 minutes to complete, with an elevation gain of just 20 metres. In the Pratarelle area — where CAI trail 308 also passes — the landscape alternates between open pastures, patches of broom, blackthorn, wild rose and hawthorn, and short grass clearings. It is in these clearings that the orchids appear. The species present include Anacamptis pyramidalis and Orchis morio, both with purple blooms appearing between late spring and summer.
A park that hosts half of Italy's orchids
Around 120 species of wild orchid exist in Italy. Half of them have been recorded in the Lucretili Mountains, with blooms ranging from the foothills up to the 1,368 metres of Monte Pellecchia. Trail 309C is the spot where the density grows and becomes truly remarkable.
