THE UPPER PART
The small Verrino stream, whose source is at 1 200 on the sea level, at the boundaries of the village of Capracotta, shows wild scenarios and environments that make it a rare, well preserved ecosystem with a lot of factories traces along its banks.
The places orography, especially in the initial part, and necessity to overcome a remarkable difference of level of about 300 metres in 4 km only, define a particular uneven scenario.
The river often flows through unstable sides, prevalently composed by schistose rocks, but always covered with vegetation, essences of alders, willows, poplars, maples, laburnums, hazels, hornbeams, rovellas and the butcher’s broom constantly found in its brushwood.
As regards landscape, the area is listed among the extraordinary value elements, as “water jumps and natural waterfalls together with untouched and uncontaminated fauna and flora make the high part of Verrino river one of the most amazing and well preserved places of the whole area”.
On the hydrographical left of the path, you can have the whole view of a series of waterfalls appearing through thick vegetation, described by Lucchese as follows: “On the rocky sides, resulting more resistant to water erosion due to their calcareous nature, you can observe a very interesting and amazing rocky vegetation... Besides these species, there are thick ivy bushes creeping flourishingly.
These combinations can be observed on dripping sides or near waterfalls, which becomes so attractive, almost reminding a tropical vegetation, also due to shrubs clinging on the sides, like the holm-oak, the terebinth, the fig.
Finally, thick vegetation of musk and encrusting liverwort grow on the damp sides, contributing to increase the peculiar splendour of a unique and extraordinary environment”.
But its exceptionality is also due to a hydroelectric power plant, three mills, one of which is in a good state, and a copper plant, only present in this part as far as Casciano mill, in the proximity of the bridge of the ex 86 road. Further on, there is a series of foundries and mills, like “scamozza” one which is still functioning, run by the waters of Verrino which, after moving grindstones and hammers, flow into the Trigno, a little more than 20 km far away, in the resort of Sprondasino. It is a real course of industrial archaeology, whose elements could easily connected to a panoramic pedestrian path that should be arranged with some works.
The wild aspect of the place, the remarkable environmental values, the geological characteristics, the traces of past life make the area a “unique environment comparable with a natural monument, where man-nature relationship was not modified”.