This year's theme is "Winds of Stories", that recalls the winds that have blown through Reggio Emilia in recent years: different voices, languages, perspectives on childhood, stories capable of creating relationships and community.

Reggionarra will enliven the city's historic centre, in its public and private spaces. Professional storytellers, theatre companies and parents will offer their services as "storytellers" creating a unique experience on the national and international scene.

Hotel

The Hotel Campana is located in Reggio Emilia, in a quiet area, not far from the town centre and the most important industrial areas.
The restaurant has many comforts, is equipped with a spacious and welcoming reception, coffee bar, free Wi-Fi, seating area and large breakfast room.

Opening period: all year
Closed: from 23 December to 6 January and from 8 to 20 August

Information

Route characteristics

Travelling time: 3 hours
Difference in heigth: starting and arrival point: 145 m; maximum altitude: 385 m 
Vegetation: stretches of mixed hedges and juniper shrubs in the dry xerophilous clearings, rare Scotch pine, sparse pubescent oak woods, blackthorn, dogwood, maple, and hornbeam.
Fauna: birds of prey, small mammals, hares, pheasants and partridges (introduced for restocking).
Historical-cultural highlights: examples of rural architecture.

Starting point: old lime kiln in Ventoso; old village of Ventoso, view of the castle of Torricella.

Route description

The trail starts from Ventoso and you can park your car near the so-called “fornasoun”, the old gypsum and lime kiln. Setting off from the kiln, take the road that starts on the right just before the kiln, and stay on it for approximately 150 m. You then take the dirt road going uphill on the left, through meadows, crop fields, and hedges. From the steep uphill path you can soon enjoy some stunning views over Scandiano and the plain. In April-May, you can see orchid blossoms in the surrounding meadows. After crossing a meadow, the dirt road becomes more clearly marked and continues to rise uphill to the chapel of the Madonna of Fatima. Turn right into the scenic dirt road (watch out for possible oncoming vehicles), continue until you reach a barrier (one hour from the starting point), and then walk downhill up to a farmhouse (La Piana). Go around and past the farmhouse and follow the dirt road up to the asphalt road, not far from the Tre Croci hill. Cross the road and take an indistinct path that changes direction, leading southward (to the right). Once you have gone over the watershed, you begin to descend toward the valley of the Rio Riazzone stream. After the first stretch of flat land, the path drops sharply into a small valley with heavy erosions (walk carefully along the first tract as you are on a landslide), and across arid, clayey prairies to a small stream a little way down. The path becomes clearer here and the vegetation gets more interesting. It includes typical xerophilous species such as juniper, broom, elm, dogwood, rosehips, hawthorn as well as a few rare Scotch pines. The path then continues downhill alongside a stream. A little further on, however, you leave the path, cross the stream, and go a little way up the slope on the opposite side. Walk past the opening of a fenced enclosure and shortly afterward come across another path which you follow to the right. Half-way up the hillside, follow the path across a meadow, paying close attention to the where the path continues on the other side as it is covered in vegetation. You go over another stream and again go up the slope on the other side, to find yourself in the midst of shrubs and a small wood that opens onto another meadow. You now walk between the meadow and the wood (with the wood on your left) until you reach a vineyard. Then take a beautiful lane lined by two mixed hedges, which comes out onto the lane of Valaro (2 hours from the starting time). Follow the lane to the right, going around a house, and continue until you almost reach the San Ruffino cemetery (small fountain). Just before the cemetery, take another lane on the left (not very clearly marked) which leads up to a meadow with an impressive elm-tree. Cross the meadow up to the summit of the hillock to find another path which you follow in a south-easterly direction. Shortly afterward, you can enjoy a lovely view of the Castello della Torricella and of the oak of Cà de Degani which is over a century old. Continue uphill and, after crossing a field a little way above Cà Nuova, leave the lane and cross a meadow underneath a telephone cable line, which takes you to the asphalt road. This road leads from Ventoso to the Tre Croci hill. Follow the road downhill for approximately 700 m to the church of Ventoso. Once you have passed the church, follow Via Colombaia downhill until you reach the oldest part of the village of Ventoso, which is only a short walk from the starting point of the trail (the complete trail takes 3 hours).

Information

42019 Scandiano

Route characteristics

Travelling time: 4 hours
Difference in height: starting and arrival point: 110 m; maximum altitude: 380 m  
Vegetation: stretches of mixed hedges and juniper shrubs in the dry xerophilous clearings, rare Scotch pine trees, sparse pubescent oak woods, blackthorn, dogwood, maple, and hornbeam
Fauna: birds of prey, small mammals, hares, pheasants and partridges (introduced for restocking)
Historical-cultural highlights: examples of rural architecture

Starting point: old lime kiln in Cà de Caroli

Route description

To get to the starting point of the trail, take Via Tresinaro just after the bridge in Cà de Caroli. Drive past the remains of the old lime, cement, and gypsum kiln – a very interesting feature from the point of view of industrial archaeology – and park your car.
Follow the asphalt road on the left marked “strada privata” (private road) uphill for approximately 200 m and take the path (not very clearly marked) on the right leading to a meadow which has orchid blossoms in spring. Continue walking uphill in the direction of a nearby house and take the path on the left recognisable by an old barrier. Turning left where the path forks, and walking between two hedges of hawthorn, blackthorn, blackberry, rosehips, dogwood and Spanish broom leads to more thickets. After passing a small fishing lake on the left, the path rises steeply among interesting gypsum outcrops. Monte Gesso (Gypsum Mountain) – a rugged rock at the top of which once stood a Medieval castle destroyed in 1340 – is a fascinating natural and geological environment.
Once the vegetation clears, opening up the view of a valley with erosions and furrows, the main path lined with blackberry bushes, goes off to the right. You nevertheless continue walking straight on, following a somewhat indistinct uphill track of clayey ground that leads to a scenic viewing point from which you can see the small village of Monte del Gesso on your left, and Scandiano and the plain in the distance.
Finally, on crossing a meadow, you come out on trail number 3, which you follow south (to the right) among pubescent oak woods in a dry (xerophilous) habitat, until you reach the chapel dedicated to the Madonna of Fatima (1 hour and 10 minutes from the starting point). You are now on the main watershed, with a view of both the plain and the Apennines. Keep going right on the dirt track to reach the rural village of Bottegaro. Past Bottegaro and the broken-down buildings just after, you continue walking among outcrops of flaky clay ground with pubescent oaks and juniper shrubs, with a view of the fumarola pools of Pianderna. In the sweeping grassy meadow, there are several different species of spring flowering orchids, as well as globularia and Spanish broom. Continuing along this path, you reach a hilltop (altitude 380 m) with a brick turret. You then proceed downhill to the small village of Monte di Sopra, consisting of two broken-down buildings, a tank and, most importantly, an impressive oak, over a century old, considered to be one of the greatest trees in the Emilia Romagna region and protected by regional law. The dirt track continues downhill, past the hamlet of Monte di Sotto, then becomes a small dirt road which takes you through a scenic view of the Tresinaro river valley, a fumarola pool, and finally, reaches the village of Cà de Rossi (1hour and 10 minutes from the Chapel of the Madonna of Fatima). From here, following the dirt road to the right, you begin the second part of this trail along the riverbed of the Tresinaro river and eventually return to the starting point. The vegetation here changes and includes willow-groves, white poplars and reeds (cattails, rushes, and purple loosestrife) which have colonised the riverbed and riverbanks of the Tresinaro. Past the farmhouse buildings of Casone and Cà de’ Sforacchi, the dirt road becomes a footpath, goes under the footbridge and approaches the Tresinaro riverbanks, then passes by a landslip which goes down to the riverbed. You proceed along the edges of the river above a vineyard, up to the village of Bettole. The trail continues past the view of a gypsum outcrop (which is part of the same vein seen previously at Monte del Gesso) and clayey furrows, and emerges on the asphalt road opposite a house. After 300 m on this road, you are back to the starting point of the trail (1hour and 40 minutes from Cà de Rossi).

Information

42019 Scandiano

Route characteristics

Travelling time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Difference in heigth:starting and arrival point: 120 m; maximum altitude: 384 m
Vegetation: stretches of mixed hedges
Fauna: birds of prey, small mammals, hares, pheasants and partridges (introduced for restocking) 
Historical-Cultural highlights: the Court in Figno and the San Fillippo Neri Oratory

Starting point: school of Jano

Route description

The trail starts from Iano, which can be reached from Scandiano by taking the road that leads to Viano. After Iano, turn right into Via Seminario and follow the road to the local elementary school. On the right of the school, take the uphill dirt track and at the first crossroads turn left heading west. After passing a terrace with blackberry brambles, you reach a meadow. From here, you can see a house which you head toward (altitude 208 m). The trail is primarily of scenic interest and looking back, you can see the whole plain, stretching across Scandiano, Monte Evangelo, and Monte del Gesso. From the house, follow the gravel road uphill toward the farming hamlet of Case Figno (30 minutes from the starting point). Continuing along the gravel road, note the interesting furrows on the left (birds of prey can be easily spotted here), and the fumarola pool on the right, surrounded by reeds and cattails. After walking for approximately one hour, you pass a blue gate on the right (altitude 384 m) and walk down the lane heading north. You are now in the animal reserve/hunting area of Cà del Vento, and walking between the two hedgerows lining the fields, you can enjoy views of Scandiano and of beautiful spring blossoms, and may come across animals that have been reintroduced in the reserve such as hares, pheasants, and woodcocks. Keep going right at all the crossroads. On reaching a group of houses known as Bellavista (municipality of Albinea), look out for a beautiful example of Turkey oak (Quercus Cerris) more than a century old. The tree is listed and protected by the regional authority of Emilia Romagna. The road now descends into a wood of pubescent oak where, in the spring, you can see blossoming primroses, hellebores, violets, and dandelion. The dirt road continues downhill and around a few hairpin bends, although you can take the obvious short-cut across the meadow. Keep going right again at the next two crossroads along Via Cà de’ Duchi (the second crossroads has a shrine dedicated to Saint Teresa: you are now in the village of Borzano). A few metres further, leave the dirt road and take the dirt track going east between two meadows. Go past the crossroads on the main road, leading past a few small farmhouses and a stream, and continue up to a crossroads with a shrine. Turn right to reach the Observatory and follow the dirt road up to the area known as “I Cipressi”. Turn left at the crossroads after I Cipressi, and follow the dirt road to the main Iano road which leads to the end of the trail by the elementary school.

Bed & Breakfast

B&B Il Cortese is located in the town centre, near the University, Salus Clinic, Spallanzani Clinic, Centro Palmer, Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, RCF Arena (Campovolo).

With elegance and courtesy its aim is to offer all customers an excellent stay and a comfortable rest, like at home!

Opening period: all year.

Countryside walks, workshops for adults and children, traditional rural games, tastings of typical products, opportunities to learn about cultivation and animal breeding techniques.