IF FAMILY
FROM VILLA VEZZANO TO THE TORRE DEL MARINO TOWER
Walk. Recommended clothing: comfortable shoes.
Length 5.4 km Difference in altitude 190 m.
Starting point: car park on Via Trieste
From the car park, head for a few metres towards Riolo Terme, then turn left onto Via Torre del Marino. After the bridge, go right onto an unsurfaced road that runs alongside vineyards and meadows. When the Torre del Marino tower has come into view, you will see a pond with reeds, poplars and the vegetation typical of wetlands. Continue as far as the meadow in front of the tower and then onto Via Torre del Marino, passing the farm guesthouse. Following the road down to Vignola, you meet the approach route via which you will return to the car park.
Things to see
Like many of the towers rising from these hills, the Torre del Marino (1) had the role of defence and lookout, and was built in the 15th century by the Naldi family. Made from brick with traditional sandstone creasing, it suffered serious damage during the Second World War.
Things to do
Tastings in the shade of the Torre del Marino tower (1): a specially selected offering of unique dishes, always made with great care from local ingredients.
THE ORIOLO DEI FICHI HILL IN FAENZA
Walk. Recommended clothing: comfortable shoes.
Length 4.8 km Difference in altitude 170 m.
Starting point: Parco delle Ginestre park, on Via Salita di Oriolo
Walk down and to the right along a path marked with sporadic discoloured wooden arrows. After passing through a small wood, cross a bridge and continue up a cart road beside a vineyard. Once on the Via di Oriolo street, pass behind the church and then along the Sentiero dell’Amore path as far as Via S. Mamante. After the Church of San Mamante and the Ca’ Vincenzona farm guesthouse, walk downhill between the rows of grapevines, turn left after the little bridge and then up again to Via di Oriolo and the La Sabbiona farm guesthouse. Passing the football pitch on your left, walk up to Via Salita di Oriolo and you will find yourself at the starting point.
Things to see
Oriolo tower (1) (open to the public in the afternoon on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays and during the numerous events) is one of a kind thanks to its hexagonal design with two right angles. It was built in 1476 by the Manfredi family of Faenza on the site of an earlier fortification. The Sentiero dell’Amore path (2), once a military route, is now a place of peace and poetry.
Things to do
The Oriolo Tower Producers Association promotes the Tower through events and local products. The farm guesthouses that surround the Tower (1) offer guided tastings of fine local wines, farm tours, and courses on making the local piadina (flatbread) and sfoglia (puff pastry). In summer, you can enjoy light refreshments and relaxing at the pool. For groups, it is possible to organise tastings in the Oriolo Tower Park.
BRISIGHELLA OLIVE OIL PATH
Leisurely walk. Recommended clothing: comfortable shoes.
Length 7.6 km Difference in altitude 110 m.
Starting point: railway station
Follow the SP 302 road towards Marradi. After the CAB (Brisighella DOP olive oil press and shop), cross the road and follow the cycle and pedestrian path under the railway bridge to the Parish Church of Tho. Pass back under the railway and SP 302 road and onto Via Valloni, walking up between olive groves some of whose trees are over a century old. At this point, you can choose to continue among the olive trees or go straight to the church of Santa Maria in Rontana. The Cammino di S. Antonio (CSA) path then takes you back towards Brisighella, passing the fortress and walking down Via Spada to the centre of this picturesque medieval village. The entire route is marked by purpose-made signs.
Things to see
Brisighella is officially one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia (Italy’s most beautiful villages), with a historic centre notable for the Manfredian fortress (1), the clock tower (2) and the Via degli Asini street (3). The Giuseppe Ugonia Museum (4) houses numerous works by this painter and lithographer. The crypt of the Romanesque Parish Church of San Giovanni in Ottavo Parish Church of Tho) (5) contains an olive press stone from Roman times. The Monticino quarry geological museum park (7) displays dioramas of prehistoric animal species that lived here.
Things to do
Brisighella extra virgin olive oil (6), among the first to obtain DOP status, in 1996, is produced from indigenous varieties that were cultivated as early as Roman times. It is possible to enjoy guided tastings of Brisighella olive oil or the many other local products such as Mora Romagnola charcuterie and Moretto artichokes.
“SENTIERO DEGLI ABBISSI” PATH IN THE VENA DEL GESSO ROMAGNOLA REGIONAL PARK (Ca’ Carnè visitor centre, Brisighella)
Short hike. Recommended clothing: hiking shoes/boots.
Length 3 km Difference in altitude 210 m.
Starting point: Ca’ Carnè visitor centre, Brisighella
The entire route is signposted with white and red way markers bearing the letters ‘SA’ (Sentiero degli Abissi). When the ground is wet, take care on the non-grassy and steep sections. Starting from the Ca’ Carnè visitor centre (leave your car in the nearby car parks), the route winds along paths through meadows and woods and near the main abissi (chasms), rock formations typical of the Vena del Gesso Romagnola chalk vein. It also climbs two peaks which offer a magnificent view of the surrounding hills and gullies.
Things to see
The Vena del Gesso Romagnola Regional Park (1) has many interesting features thanks to the unusual form of chalk rock: chasms, sinkholes, dolines and caves. Flora and fauna specimens survive here thanks to the microclimate created by the chalkhills. The Rifugio Ca’ Carnè visitor centre (2) offers refreshments and a museum dedicated to the Park’s fauna.
Things to do
A guided tour of the Park (1) is a stimulating way to start exploring the beauty and features that make it unique. There is a particularly exciting climb down into one of the karst caves (3) with caving equipment and a guide.
CASOLA VALSENIO
PATH 1: CASOLA VALSENIO – RIVER PARK
CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 9:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
The river has always held mysterious, ancestral charm for people
The Senio is no exception, snaking along a very interesting nature trail, dominated by the great ‘wall’ on which the village of Casola stands. Via Path 1, it can be walked in a little over an hour, completing a large loop leading from the town to the small parish of Pagnano with its little rural church, then passing under the Soglia bridge and entering the river park before heading back up to the town along the picturesque Via della Calgheria. Top tip: this path is perfect for digesting a delicious lunch eaten at one of the numerous local restaurants and farm guesthouses.
PATH 2: BAFFADI - MOUNT SCAPPA
CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 09:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
To start Path 2, you need to get to the hamlet of Baffadi and park near the church. The route takes you on a journey of discovery of Mount Scappa and its dense and mysterious pine forest.
PATHS 3 and 4: MONTE DEI PINI – RIO DELLA NAVE / MOUNT FORTINO – MONTE DEI PINI.
CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 09:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
Two routes in discovery of a magical place very dear to the inhabitants of Casola. Monte dei Pini overlooks the village from the north-east, reminiscent, with its dense, shady pine forest, of a fairytale Nordic mountain. Walking up from the village, you are welcomed by the countryside that surrounds it.
Hayfields, vineyards and stone farmsteads tell a story of stout-hearted mountain farmers. Winter is approaching, but there is still much work to be done: ploughing and pruning to prepare the land for those months of well-earned rest, after which it will blossom once again in spring. The fields give way to dense woodland and the valley continues to broaden as you walk up through it. To the east, the sloping expanse leading to the cities on the plain and the sea; to the west, the peaks of the Apennines of Tuscany and Romagna, where the mountains grow more rugged and serious.
PATH 5: SETTEFONTI LOOP.
CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 9:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
Every village has its legends, and Casola Valsenio has many to tell. There is one, however, that is rather unsettling and causes you to quicken your pace: that of the Settefonti crossroads. For generations, this rural intersection, from which seven roads once departed and are still visible today, has been considered an extremely magical place.
Even now, it is not uncommon, there, to find the remains of bonfires and small rituals to ward off the evil eye traditionally practised at intersections of uneven numbers of roads. However, the Settefonti crossroads guards an even more mysterious story. On the night of San Giovanni, between the 23rd and 24th of June, if you rest your chin in the fork of a stick or wooden pitchfork, you can glimpse the witches in coven in the middle of the crossroads... Path number 5 crosses this mysterious place on its way to the slopes of Monte della Vecchia, a hill cloaked in legends about a treasure buried there and home to Casolicchio, the goblin of Casola. A path, oozing magic, on which you can spend and unforgettable day.
PATH 6 and 6 bis:
VIDOVINA LOOP
CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 9:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
The Casola area shows itself in all its splendour during this route combining nature, history and culture. The first part of the route passes through the charming estate of the writer from Casola, Alfredo Oriani.
The author loved to walk in the ancient park, looking to nature for inspiration for his writing. An impressive avenue of maritime pines rises up to the junction with Path 6 bis, a variation leading down to the Augusto Rinaldi Ceroni Botanical Herb Garden where you can enjoy a guided tour to discover the fascinating secrets of medicinal herbs. If you choose, instead, to continue up Path 6, you leave the Cardello park and climb to a panoramic point with an incredible view of the Santerno Valley and northern part of the Vena del Gesso Regional Park. A rich and surprising route that will satisfy your eyes and your spirit.
PATH 7: MOUNT CECE LOOOP
CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 9:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
The area around Casola Valsenio was the scene of great battles in the Second World War. A land of resistance and partisans is home to symbolic locations of extreme historical significance, first and foremost Mount Battaglia and Mount Cece.
Path number 7 is an exploration of the latter. In October 1944, the British infantry, after a bloody battle lasting nearly two weeks, succeeded in taking the peak from the German forces. A terrible conquest that claimed over 700 victims. The Mount Cece loop is also a tribute to those fallen soldiers and a way of remembering. The path climbs from the village up to Mount Albignano, which offers an incredible view from the Millennium Cross on the summit. From here, it continues upwards and, after the rocky slopes of the Rive del Cerro Pass, proceeds along the rugged ridge of the western flank of Mount Cece all the way to the summit. This mountain, at 759 m above sea level, is the third highest peak in the Province of Ravenna. A rugged and desolate place steeped in savage charm, where you can experience all the beauty of our Apennines.
MOUNT BATTAGLIA – VAL MAGGIORE
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CASOLA VALSENIO TOURIST OFFICE
Tuesday and Friday 9:00 - 12:00
+39 0546 73033 [email protected]
Things to see
A path of spectacular views, leading from Mount Battaglia to the church of Val Maggiore. Mount Battaglia can be reached by car via the Prugno Pass which links the Santerno and Senio valleys. From there, take the CAI 701 beaten path on foot, which leads to Val Maggiore and its incredible, glass-roofed church in about an hour and a half. This is a mystical and wild place where the harsh nature of the Apennines of Tuscany and Romagna reveals itself in all its splendour.