Reggio Emilia Foothills - From Secchia to Enza river
Cyclepath characteristics
Trail with multiple surfaces, moderate altitudes except for the ascent to Roncolo Park and the ascent to Costa di Montecavolo.
Altitudes between 101 and 381 meters above the sea. Max gain: +23m, climb 1012m, descent 989m.
Total distance: 51,7 km
Difficulty level: medium, presence of steep climb segments not suitable for low-trained people. The cyclepath follows cycling tracks, countryside roads and streets with low or none traffic. Pay attention at the crossroads and roundabouts.
Most difficult segments:
Ascent to Costa di Montecavolo
Ascent to Roncolo Park
Segments on main roads:
- Vezzano sul Crostolo: SP63R/Via Roma Sud, 350m segment,
- Albinea: Via Roma, 400m segment
Track DEscription
A separating line, a natural border that defines the immense lowland from the Apennines mountain tops.
The foothill range, in the immediate south of Reggio Emilia, is a peculiar area rich of beauty and places of interest, dotted with castles on top of rolling hills which guard the rear valleys and with the sight on the vast flatland; the first woods and hills which repair from the bustling Pianura Padana, as if we were in another place and in another time.
This track follows all the foothill range from Castellarano to San Polo d'Enza, getting through vineyards, castles, natural parks and verdant woods.
Our journey starts from Castellarano, a riverside town on the Secchia river, where you can see the Rocchetta from the 15th century, the Castle and the Clock Tower. From the starting point you can visit the Santa Maria Assunta parish, in romanic style.
The track then goes through the Secchia Cyclepath until the hamlet of Veggia, where we will turn towards the left. Passing on Via Statutaria, we can find the village of Casalgrande Alto. Here we can make a little detour to visit the Casalgrande Alto Castle, unfortunately only visitable on the outside. This fortress, with the distinguishable tower at the entrance, was the guardian of every inch of the underlying plain and the final part of the Secchia valley, and it is linked with the other castles in the Modena province, as the Montegibbio Castle on the other side of the valley.
Returning on Via Statutaria, we pass south of Scandiano, and at the roundabout between the villages of San Ruffino and Ventoso we can reach Monte delle Tre Croci (the Three Crosses Mountain), a beautiful observation deck of all the lower Pianura Padana, from Bologna to Parma and until Mantua in the distance.
Continuing on our track, we overpass the Tresinaro Stream in the village of Ca' de' Caroli and we find the Astronomical Observatory "Lazzaro Spallanzani", created and owned by amateurs and it represents an observation point for citizens, schools and space enthusiasts.
Overpassing the village of Borzano, we reach Albinea municipality, an elegant town on the very first hill of the Apennines and place of relax for many Reggio Emilia citizens, who come here every summer to find some fresh air in the hottest days of the season.
Here you can see from outside the Albinea Castle and Montericco Castle (only from the outside because they are private residencies and the access is forbidden).
All along the centuries, the noble families of Reggio Emilia proceeded to build here their villas, such as Villa Moratti, Villa Tarabini Viganò with the Acetaia Comunale (the traditional vinegar cellars, owned by the same municipality), Villa Calvi, Villa Arnò that hosts jazz festivals during the month of July, Villa Sidoli-Rossi, guardian of the secrets of the Italian Unification period and witness of the major events of the WW2, where the Allies threw themselves with the parachute in order to attack the German commando inside the villa.
During the third weekend of June, Albinea hosts the typical Sagra del Lambrusco (Lambrusco food festival), where you can taste the delicious wine of this area.
From Albinea we head south along the Crostolo valley, until we reach Vezzano sul Crostolo, the first municipality entirely surrounded by hills of our tour. The municipality offers a dense network of trails and tracks to walk, as well as public parks and natural areas, such as the Ecoparco di Vezzano and the Parco Matildico di Montalto. Through the municipality territory there is a long-distance trail that goes from Mantua, Lombardy to Lucca, Tuscany, called Via Matildica del Volto Santo. This trail retraces the old ways of communication of the Middle Age that connected the Po Valley to the sea across the mountains, focusing on the territories owned by the Great Countess Matilda of Tuscany (in Italian Matilde di Canossa).
Climbing up the Costa di Montecavolo, we can admire dramatic views of the hills that unfold before our eyes. We then arrive to the eponymous town.
Exiting from Montecavolo, we arrive in Roncolo, little hamlet of the Quattro Castella municipality, where we start the steep climb to the Roncolo Park. This park is State-owned, it is free-access and it offers a great endemic biodiversity, marked by deciduous vegetation, such as hornbeams, Turkey oaks, maples, walnut trees, and endemic fauna such as some predators, ungulates and rodents.
From the Park we arrive at Monte Airone, where we descend through a trail until the underlying tarmac street. Here we continue on the tarmac, and on the right side of the road we can see the badlands (in Italian calanchi), erosion phenomenons due to the water runoff on clay soils and, far in the distance, the Castle and the Bianello Oasis.
The fortress, open for visits with a ticket, hosts baroque-styled halls, while the main structure is in Romanic style. Every 24th of July, recurring the death of Matilda of Tuscany, the Castle is illuminated with a red light, and it is visible from the A1 motorway.
The LIPU Bianello Oasis, surrounding the castle, is a beautiful example of the Emilian Low Apennine environment. There are more than 130 bird species and a rich undergrowth full of endemic vegetation. The natural reserve also offers reserved guided tours and a Visitor Centre in the Monticelli village.
Turning right on Via Ermete Conti, we pass by the Rifugio Matildico, a wild animals rehabilitation centre and didactic centre for environmental education.
Continuing on Via Conti, we descend back in the lowland. Turning left on Via Belvedere, we enter San Polo d'Enza municipality, finishing point of our tour. Here we can visit the ancient Rocca, dated in the year 1000 and the Resistance museum. The entering point of the town is in itself quite characteristic, because is an ancient door of the old fortified town. The finishing point is right in front of the train station, where we can return back to Reggio Emilia with the Regional train.
Link to navigation files
It is possible to follow the tour by its entirety or in smaller segments, following the GPX files (for GPS devices or mobile apps that read this file), KML files (for Google Earth, both for desktop and mobile app) or the PDF cartography.
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