The best road cycling routes in Val D'Ozola, Monte Cusna

Ligonchio is a splendid mountain resort located at 1,000 meters above sea level in the Reggiano Apennines, today part of the scattered municipality of Ventasso in the province of Reggio Emilia. It is the highest inhabited center of the entire Reggiano ridge, nestled in the spectacular scenery of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park. Historically known as the "village of eagles" (paese delle aquile), this village boasts a strong identity linked to water and energy.

Castelnovo ne' Monti is the main municipality and economic center of the Mountain Union of the Reggiano Apennines, located in the province of Reggio Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna. Famous throughout Italy for the spectacular Pietra di Bismantova, the village stands at the foot of this imposing and unique rock formation and is part of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park.

Pietra di Bismantova is an extraordinary and imposing rocky monolith located in the municipality of Castelnovo ne' Monti, in the heart of the Reggio Apennines. Set within the splendid context of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park, this unique geological formation stands out for its unmistakable ship-like profile, with vertical walls of calcareous sandstone soaring up to 1041 meters in altitude and culminating in a vast grassy plateau of about 12 hectares. Famous for having inspired Dante Alighieri in the description of Mount Purgatory in the Divine Comedy, it is today one of the most frequented destinations in Emilia-Romagna for hiking, climbing, and spiritual tourism.

The lake of Gramolazzo is a lake in the Apuan Alps located near the homonymous village in the municipality of Minucciano. Of artificial origin, it was created in the second half of the 1900s, together with the lake of Vagli by SELT Valdarno for the hydroelectric use of the Serchio river and its tributaries. The lake, which has a surface area of one square kilometer and a volume of 3.8 million cubic meters, has both the Serchio di Gramolazzo as its inflow and outflow, one of the two branches that, joining near Piazza al Serchio, form the Tuscan river. Another important stream that flows into the lake is the Acqua Bianca stream, which coming from Mount Pisanino crosses the village of Gorfigliano. A large part of the water, however, is fed through a channel on the left bank, near the dam, which with a maximum flow rate of 20 cubic meters per second discharges the waters captured from the Serchio into the Sillano valley. The waters of the lake of Gramolazzo feed the Fabbriche power plant which in turn discharges them into the lake of Vagli.

The Oasis of Campocatino is a mountain locality in the Apuan Alps, in the municipality of Vagli di Sotto, located at 1000 m above sea level, beneath the imposing wall of Monte Roccandagia. It includes a large basin of glacial origin, a testament to the extent of Quaternary glaciation in the Apennine area. Inside, we find the typical pastoral buildings called "caselli," which have been preserved with their ancient construction characteristics. Since 1991, it has become a "LIPU Natural Oasis." The coexistence of different environments and the natural integrity of the area have allowed the acclimatization of various bird species that reproduce there. Along the rocky walls, the Alpine chough and the Wallcreeper nest; in the high-altitude meadows and pastures, the Skylark, the Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, the Wheatear, and the Greater Short-toed Lark are observed, while the woods below are populated by the Blackcap, the Goldfinch, the Chaffinch, the Brambling, the Firecrest, the Dartford Warbler, the Robin, the Eurasian Nuthatch, the Song Thrush, the Mistle Thrush, the Wren, and four species of tits: Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, and Marsh Tit. Biodiversity is also present among the birds of prey that inhabit the area: the Tawny Owl, the Kestrel, the Eagle Owl, the Common Buzzard, the Sparrowhawk, and sometimes the Eagle soars over the area in search of prey. A little curiosity: in 1998 Campocatino was the film set for the movie "il mio west" directed by Giovanni Veronesi, starring Leonardo Pieraccioni, Harvey Keitel, David Bowie, and Alessia Marcuzzi. In memory of David Bowie's presence, a statue has been placed near the stone houses to commemorate his time there.

La Pietra di Bismantova is an imposing and characteristic sandstone rock massif located in the Apennines of Reggio Emilia, in the municipality of Castelnovo ne' Monti (province of Reggio Emilia). It reaches an altitude of 1,047 meters above sea level and is famous for its unmistakable hoof or "isolated ship" shape that dominates the surrounding landscape. This majestic calcarenite monolith is protected within the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park and is even mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the IV canto of Purgatory.

panoramic point

The place is cool and quiet during the week. Canoe rentals are available for lake excursions.