Good behaviour - Stretti di Giaredo

GOOD RULES TO VISIT STRETTI DI GIAREDO

Stretti di Giaredo are a marvellous fluvial gorge located among Pontremoli and Zeri in Alta Lunigiana. You can easily reach them by car, and a tour of the Stretti will stand you open mouthed. For that reason and thanks to a growing attention caused by social networks and by the spread of beautiful pictures, over recent years they have been visited by an increasingly large number of tourists, especially during the warmer months of the year.

VISIT SAFELY

Is it possible to do an excursion autonomously or with the guides of Sigeric with the proposal “Stretti di Giaredo Adventure” which guarantees the support of professional nature and alpine guides and provides you wetsuit, helmet and life jacket.

This excursion is better because it is in safety and it has a conscious and respectful approach to this place which is, above all, a Site of Community Interest.
Anyway, if you prefer to visit the place autonomously, it is very important to observe some RULES both for nature safeguard and for the protection of your own safety.

First of all, we report a short list of rules and then we will explain them more in details in an attached downloadable file.
Everything that has been written is the result of a collaboration between the members of “Farfalle in cammino” and the nature and alpine guides of Sigeric with the help of: an agronomist, a forester, a natural scientist, an environmental engineer and a geologist.
Moreover, in the attachment there are some useful directions in order to be able to distinguish between a viper and a grass snake.
Visiting the Stretti it is much more common to find the second one and, learning to recognize it, permits you to avoid useless fears and how to react.

RULES FOR NATURE SAFEGUARD OF THE STRETTI

The rocks, the stones and the rock walls must not be altered in anyway.
The animals must not be damaged or disturbed.
The plants must not be damaged or disturbed.
Do not throw or abandon waste.
Dogs do not have fun in the gorge.
Do not light a fire and do not leave trace of your passage.

RULES FOR A SAFETY VISIT OF THE STRETTI

Be careful about freezing water
The wetsuit is very recommended.
The helmet is appropriate, considering the location.
Being able to swim is essential.
You must use hiking shoes.
Monitor carefully the weather forecast.
Look for information about the release of water of the dam.
Make the visit of the Stretti in small groups and properly equipped.
Take into consideration time and ways of the excursion in relation to the group that will execute it.
Leave always a message with the information about the excursion to someone who is not participating to it.

The tadpoles of the amphibians are not a game for children or for adults. They are the joeys of frogs and toad, if we put them outside water they die because they breathe through gills. When the tadpoles grow, there is the metamorphosis and they transform into frogs e toads. Also frogs and toads are not a game for children and adults: their bones are extremely fragile and so every manipulation can provoke internal haemorrhages. It is strictly forbidden to collect tadpoles, frogs and toads and their manipulation

If you see a snake, it will probably be a Ring snake, so a innocuous snake. In any case, observe it at the right distance to avoid to scare it, do not try to touch or kill it. Remember: YOU ARE IN A PROTECTED AREA. The common Viper, or Asp, is anyway in the protected area: if you believe to be bitten by a viper, do not get restless, do not cut or suck the wound, do not bind it with lace or with other things, do not move it. Call fast the 112, say the place where you are, describe with a great precision the accident and follow the instructions of the doctor. Remember: the majority bites of a snake concern the limbs, in particular ankle, hand and wrist, in this case you are not in danger of life (but call the 112).

The rocky outcrops inside Stretti di Giaredo are special for the lithologic composition, for smooth shapes and for thick and coloured stratifications. The environment which develops is amazing…so that this place stay unaltered and utilizable by the people who will come after you, it is necessary your collaboration: do not scrape, do not carve, do not move stones and do not dirty the walls around you. It can happen, if you are a careful observer, to see particular white formations which slide along the wall imitating the stalactites: they are calcareous concretions which grow very slowly and their structures are extremely fragile. Observe the secular work of the water dripping, but without influence it: do not lean, do not touch and do not remove these formations.