Ancient village, whise settling dates back early middle age, when passages of animals, gods and pilgrims made happening a slow but steady settling, nested onto a perched plateau at the margins of a canyon and foothills of the mountain Pania di Corfino

It is believed that its toponimous is coming from “confinus” (border)

Established in 1984 on the initiative of the Mountain Community of Garfagnana, which takes care of its management, the Pania di Corfino Botanical Garden is located at 1370 meters a.s.l. on the homonymous mountain group in Piè Magnano and occupies an area of ​​about one hectare. After a few years of activities aimed at structuring the space, the botanical garden became operational to the public from the summer of 1989 with the activation of a guided tour service and the construction of a plant with the function of guesthouse and laboratory. .

Inserted in the group of botanical gardens of the Province of Lucca, the garden aims to collect and preserve the flora of the Lucca Apennines.

Divided into specific sections, it reproduces the vegetation of some typical environments of the Apennines and the Apuan Alps. Depending on the sections you can find:

the flora of the moors, present in areas close to the Apennine ridge
the flora of the pastures
an arboretum which houses the flora of the woods
an artificial lake and the surrounding wetland that host the peat bog flora

One of its areas, called Hortus Sanitatis, is dedicated to the medicinal and edible plants of the Garfagnana tradition.

The garden also has a wood collection comprising longitudinal and transverse sections of the stem of various tree species present in the Garfagnana area. The collection is of considerable interest for educational purposes, as it allows you to touch the sections of the plants that you can meet inside and outside the Botanical Garden.

In 1997 a Phenological Garden was established, which is part of the Network of International Phenological Gardens, which studies the effects of climate on the development of plants cloned by the mother plant itself, according to the difference in latitude.

At the entrance of the garden there is a sub-fossil white fir dating back to 1200 AD, found nearby. In addition to carrying out an intense teaching activity, the Garden promotes studies and research, taking care of the organization of conferences dedicated to the knowledge of the plant heritage of Tuscany.

Alpine pasture at an altitude of 1000m, built on the edge of the “Path of the Patatai” with the characteristic rye roofs. Owned by the Forestry, which often uses it to house its staff, it has been redone keeping original features intact (the use of stone and the rye roof), although modernization has made these structures much richer. It is possible to rent the houses for weeks from the Forestry Corps itself, making a request during the periods of availability

The main paths leading to the discovery of Pania leave from the Refuge, and some simple walks that lead to the “Maria Ansaldi – Pania di Corfino” Botanical Garden and to the Visitors Center of the Orecchiella State Natural Reserve. The characteristic village of Corfino is located a few kilometers from the refuge and can be reached via a path that passes through the suggestive mountain pasture of Pruno.

The refuge has a single shared dormitory with 12 bunk beds, 2 bathrooms and 4 showers. For the overnight stay in the refuge there is an obligation for a sleeping bag, sleeping bag or personal sheet.

Typical rural construction: leaning against the hillock with a triangular shaped roof covered in rye. Typically used seasonally: at the bottom animals, at the top tools, crops and on occasion even humans. The expertise in saving space and material lies in superimposing a parallelepiped shape (of which one wall is spared because it exploits the slope) to a triangular one that guarantees stability. Furthermore, there is no internal communication between the two floors. The lower floor is accessed from the lower part of the slope, while the upper one from the upper part of the slope.