The artificial lake of Ridracoli has created a new natural environment of great interest. The two branches of the lake wind through the contorted ridges of the Apennines all the way to the edge of the Foresta della Lama and the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi.

One of the easier tracks to follow around the lake is the one which goes from the car park at the foot of the dam to the Ca' di Sopra shelter.
From the car park at the foot of the dam (438 m asl) follow the asphalted service road, ignoring the turnoffs. As you approach a tunnel a spur can be seen low down on the right which is all that remains of the ancient castrum of Ridracoli and on which the Garfagnana house now stands. After passing the guardhouse, we cross over the crest of the dam (560 m asl) which is 432 metres long and 103.5 metres high. After two tunnels the road we have been following becomes a Nature Trail marked blue/red CAI 239. It follows what remains of the mule track that climbed up to the Ca' di Sopra farm.

We wind our way around the woody shore of the artificial lake which has submerged the Lagacciolo, Celluzze and Mulino della Forca farms exactly below us. The trail climbs a hill through old farmland and then fords the Fontanone River that has a source (612 m) under a small waterfall. From here on we start to climb again and come to Ca' di Sopra, an eighteenth century farmstead which has been salvaged and converted into a splendid shelter.