A few kilometers from the heart of Reggio Emilia, where the plain gives way to the first gentle rolling hills of the Apennines, winds the Vezzano-Pecorile Loop. This itinerary offers a true immersion into the Matildic landscape: a journey that alternates between dense oak woods, spectacular views over the badlands, and the timeless charm of stone hamlets.
The walk has its center of gravity in the Vezzano EcoPark, a perfect natural gateway for those seeking rejuvenation. Climbing the paths that lead toward Pecorile, the landscape opens up into a panoramic embrace that, on the clearest days, allows the gaze to sweep from the entire Crostolo Valley to the peaks of Mount Cusna and, looking north, to the outline of the Alps.
You will cross small hamlets like Casola di Canossa, where time seems to have stopped among rural courtyards and ancient parish churches, witnesses to a past linked to the powerful Great Countess Matilda. It is a route that rewards effort with variety: from the silence of the undergrowth to the warm light that floods the marly ridges.
