Piccola Cassia

“Piccola Cassia” is a newly viable route that retraces an ancient road dating back to the foundation of the Roman colonies in the Po Valley. Its trajectory continued northwards along the more famous Via Cassia through the mountainous territory between Modena and Bologna.

A route of approximately 170 km that crosses a landscape ranging from the centuriated fertile plains to the hills, ravines and vineyards, and then climbs to the dense mountain forests and sprawling meadows of the Apennine uplands.
The route starts from the southern gate of the city of Modena and continues along the ridge between the Panaro and Samoggia valleys in the direction of the municipalities of Zocca and Castel d’Aiano, where it enters the Reno river valley.

After crossing the Apennines, the Piccola Cassia goes down into Tuscan territory. It then winds through the Ombrone river valley before reaching Pistoia, where it rejoins the Via Cassia leading to Rome.

The route joins the Via Romea Nonantolana and Via Romea Strata Longobarda – Nonantolana paths.

This is an evocative route, rich in historical and religious heritage (Abbazia di Nonantola, Rocca di Bazzano, Abbazia di Monteveglio, Castello di Serravalle and S. Apollinare, Badia, Santa Lucia and Pieve di Roffeno, Bombiana, Rocca Corneta, Fanano and many other historical villages) and featuring an interesting rural and natural landscape.

È un cammino suggestivo, ricco di testimonianze storico-religiose (Abbazia di Nonantola, Rocca di Bazzano, Abbazia di Monteveglio, Castello di Serravalle e S. Apollinare, Badia, Santa Lucia e Pieve di Roffeno, Bombiana, Rocca Corneta, Fanano e tanti altri borghi storici) e un paesaggio rurale e naturale interessante.

Learn more on (only Italian): https://piccolacassia.it/

The Piccola Cassia (Little Cassia) can be accessed via three routes, locally knowns as “bretelle” (connecting paths):

1. Proceeding from the centre of Bologna to Ponte Rivabella, you encounter the 17th-century Eremo di Tizzano (Tizzano Hermitage) and skirt along the rocky crags of the Sentiero dei Gessaroli (Gessaroli Path).
2. The path continues from Ponte Rivabella to the village of Monteveglio, dominated by the ancient Abbey and the Montemaggiore ravines. The landscape is marked many such characteristics and is dotted with historic villages such as Oliveto and the little hamlet of Stiore.
3. From the uplands of Gaggio Montano, a small village in the Bolognese Apennines, you arrive at the historic spa town of Porretta Terme.

These routes were created by the Metropolitan City under the European project “CreaTourEs-Promuovere il turismo creativo attraverso nuovi percorsi sostenibili ed esperienziali” (CreaTourEs-Promoting creative tourism through new sustainable and experiential routes”), funded by the Interreg Adrion programme.