Monteacuto delle Alpi e monte Piella

The hike takes place largely within the Corno alle Scale Regional Park in one of the most beautiful areas of the Upper Bolognese Apennines among the dense forests of the mountains that feed the Silla stream and its tributary Rio Baricello.

We start on CAI path 147A coming from Lizzano to take shortly afterwards the municipal road that in the narrow valley of the Silla leads us to Pianaccio, the village that was the birthplace of the well-known journalist Enzo Biagi, and from here we continue to the Segavecchia refuge. After the barrier begins a beautiful and wide forest road along which, with increasing gradient, we can admire on one side the water control works of the ditches that descend from the ridge and on the other the steep and narrow slopes that carry their waters to the Silla below, always immersed in the shade of the high-altitude beech and fir forests. Just before arriving at Passo del Lupo (1482m) we leave the forest road for the CAI 111 trail that will take us to Passo della Donnamorta (1358m) (so called, it is said because there the lifeless body of a woman was found during wartime) and shortly after at a viewpoint from which we can admire in front of us the majesty of the Corno and the Nuda. We continue the gentle half-slope descent that alternates between fast, flowing pieces and more controlling ones with boulders and roots to overcome.

The final part is a very enjoyable variant but one that requires attention and caution and in case can be avoided by staying on the main section that follows the ridge. When we reach Monteacuto we can visit the beautiful village of medieval origin located on the ridge controlling the valleys below and stop for a picnic lunch.

We start downhill again taking, near the village fountain, an old path (CAI 109) that will take us to Molino della Squaglia on the Rio Baricello. Here, having admired the stream that once fed the millstones for chestnut flour in the area, we begin the climb again that will take us on another famous forest road, that of Castelluccio, which climbs to Mount Piella and Cavallo. Our destination is the Croce degli Alpini located on the summit of Mount Piella, at an altitude of about 1,200 meters, from which we can admire the entire upper Reno valley. We descend going to take the CAI 147 path under Mount Tresca to arrive on a fun descent first to Tresana (a small village rich in history, water and hydrangeas) and then to the Madonna del Faggio, a place of pilgrimage of the local people since the 1600s, that is, when Mary appeared on a beech tree to a shepherd boy. Remains of the beech tree are still contained in a shrine inside the church.

Now all we have to do is return to our starting point by taking CAI path 147A again, a beautiful descent that passes by the Molino di Tognarino and arrives in Porchia at the sport fishing pond, to be in Casale shortly after.