piccola cassia - stage 2 east - monteveglio to tolè

general info

Distance: 25.0km
Elevation gain / loss: +910m / -350m

Terrain:

Tarmac: 65%
Trail: 20%
Gravel road: 15%

Technical difficulties and sections requiring special attention

All parts of the trail can become slippery or challenging in muddy conditions

How to get to the starting point by public transport

Bus lines TPER 654, 656, 657, 658

Public transport options from the endpoint

Bus lines TPER 657, 658, 686, 716

Reccomended places to stay

Albergo Sapori, loc. Tolè - https://maps.app.goo.gl/hJxxFDJ3Yi2f2Ze59
Albergo Ristorante Stella, loc. Tolè - https://maps.app.goo.gl/dfXzfTdj8qYDwJycA
Hotel Ristorante Falco d'Oro, loc. Tolè - https://maps.app.goo.gl/pQxdGUdmLd6bPUMh6

GPX track download

Description of the stage

This route, just east of Monteveglio, runs entirely along the ridge between the Samoggia and Lavino valleys, except for a short stretch at the beginning near Fagnano, where the valley floor once had many mills. Here, on a small isolated hill just above the Samoggia stream, you can reach the old Church of Santa Maria Assunta. Its early Romanesque bell tower and parts of the double-arched cloister are important traces of its origins, untouched by the 19th-century neoclassical restoration.

Climbing back up along the ridge facing the hill of Mongiorgio, you cross into the Lavino valley and reach the Badia area, home to the Benedictine monastery of Saints Fabiano and Sebastiano. It features impressive 13th-century stone portals and Carolingian interlaced bas-reliefs. Once an important stop along the route between Nonantola and Rome, it has recently been restored by the Municipality of Monte San Pietro.

The route then follows an ancient Roman path, later used by the Lombards, still hinted at today by local place names like Merulanus (Merlano) and Gabinianus (Gavignano), as well as a Roman funerary stone found in Mongiorgio in 1688, now kept at the Archaeological Museum of Bologna.

When you get to Monte Nonascoso, you pass by an abandoned private courtyard where the small oratory of San Luca stands, now in a very poor condition. The path then crosses a wide plateau with great views over Monte Vignola, Mount Cimone, and the Po Valley stretching all the way to the Prealps.

After passing the Croce delle Pradole, a monument to those who died in World War II, you continue toward Cà Bortolani, where several mills are still standing, including the “Mulino del Dottore,” which is still in operation. Near the village, on a scenic viewpoint facing the hill of San Prospero, stands the Church of the Holy Trinity of Savigno, dating back to 1068. Reduced to an oratory in the 17th century, today only the apse area is in use, following damage sustained during the last war.

Just beyond Cà Bortolani, the route joins the one coming from Monteveglio and continues toward Tolè.

Points of interest

Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta

“For a long time, this church was united with the Parish Church of Saint George in Samoggia, as confirmed by the official register of all the churches in the city and diocese of Bologna, compiled in 1378 and preserved in the archive of the Archbishop’s Curia. Further records show that this union remained in place until May 22, 1443."

The church has three vaulted altars. The main altar is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, patron of the parish, while the side altars are dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist and to Our Lady of the Rosary. In the latter, the related confraternity was established on May 20, 1698.

Documents indicate that after the mid-18th century the church had fallen into a state of serious disrepair; however, thanks to the generosity of the parishioners, restoration works began and continued from 1770 to 1795, enriching the church with decorations and valuable ornaments.

In 1870, the church was restored once again and frescoed by Baldi. The painting on the main altar, depicting Saint Mary, is an elegant oil work by Maria Crescimbeni, a pupil of Calvi. The bell tower dates back to 1900.

Google Maps location

Abbazia dei SS. Fabiano e Sebastiano

The Abbey of Saints Fabiano and Sebastiano, a complex of very ancient origins, is located in the hamlet of Badia, about 10 km from Calderino at an altitude of 240 meters above sea level.

Any itinerary exploring the Benedictine abbeys of the Bologna area would be incomplete without this distinctly medieval complex. It consists of a group of buildings, some with a civil function (such as the tower) and others clearly religious (the church, monastery, and cloister), standing along the route of an ancient road that once connected Tolè and Bologna. The construction techniques—especially the typically medieval reuse of decorative materials from the late Roman period—suggest that the church dates back to the 12th–13th centuries, with renovations carried out in the 15th century.

Inside the church, the Museum of the Badia del Lavino has been set up. Its exhibition route tells the story of both the church and the surrounding area, with a particular focus on rural life and agricultural work.”