Walking along the Path of Olives, we enter into the Sassovivo holm oak forest, a Special Conservation Site part of Umbria’s regional “Natura 2000” network.
Located between the Serrone and the Aguzzo mountains, the holm oak forest covers a large part of the Fosso Renaro Valley near the Sassovivo Abbey, on a limestone plateau with very steep, wooded slopes.
The morphology of the territory, which develops on two sides, one facing north and the other south, determines the formation of a very pronounced thermal gradient. The south-facing slope, with higher temperatures, is characterized by the presence of a holm oak forest, mixed with deciduous trees, among the best preserved and most representative of Umbria.
In the area near the Abbey, the forest is governed by tall trees and centuries-old specimens of holm oak. There are also beautiful olive groves: the area, moreover, is an integral part of the Assisi-Spoleto Olive Belt, a FAO protected agricultural heritage.
