Starting in 2023, thanks to a partnership between the University of Parma and the Parma branch of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), the University will organize a series of educational excursions in the local area for students, focusing on the environment and sustainability.
During the excursions, University lecturers and local experts offer in-depth information, while CAI volunteers provide information and interesting facts about the places and trekking in general.
The excursions mainly take place in the Apennines, but sometimes they also go to the Bassa, along the Po River.
In recent editions, it was decided to use the train to reach the starting points of the excursions, in order to have as little impact on the environment as possible.
Participation and appreciation have been growing steadily. Many students have chosen to spend a Saturday together on these university outings, discovering places of great charm and history: a way to socialize, appreciate the nature that surrounds us and learn to respect it, and discover places that are sometimes little known but of undoubted beauty. All this with green and gentle mobility, without rushing, and savoring the landscapes.
Among the destinations visited so far are Lago Santo, Prato Spilla, Isola Maria Luigia in Gussola, Monte Prinzera, Salti del Diavolo, Oasi dei Ghirardi, Val Vona, and Belforte.
The initiative is part of the University's broader commitment to sustainability and is organized by the Sustainable Athenaeum Group, which has been active on these issues for years. In the same vein, it is also worth mentioning the University of Parma's participation in ‘Climbing for Climate’, an awareness-raising day promoted by the Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (RUS). The University has been participating since 2020, organizing an excursion in the Apennines open to staff and students in collaboration with the CAI (Italian Alpine Club) of Parma.
