Just a short distance from Baragazza, at 719 meters above sea level and sheltered by Monte Tavianella, Boccadirio is an enchanting place of silence and unspoiled nature: the only sounds are the rushing waters of the Rio D’Avena and the rustling of the forest in the wind. It is the most important sanctuary in the Bologna area after the Madonna di San Luca and every year attracts thousands of pilgrims.

The first official documents date back to the early 1600s and recount a miraculous event that occurred on July 6, 1480, involving two shepherd children: Donato and Cornelia. The Virgin Mary appeared to them while they were tending their flock by the stream, where today the main altar stands. She approached the children, who were praying in ecstasy, and instructed Donato to become a priest and Cornelia to become a nun and to tell the people of Baragazza about the miracle, encouraging them to build a temple in her honor at the site of the apparition. The local population acted, and the first church was built.

Twenty years later, the faithful placed in the sanctuary the holy image gifted by the visionary Sister Brigida—the name Cornelia adopted after taking her vows. Donato became parish priest of Castiglione dei Pepoli, while Cornelia spent forty years as a nun in the convent of Santa Caterina da Siena in Prato.

Around the mid-1500s, thanks to the generosity of the noble Pepoli family, the church was expanded and enriched with works of art, becoming a symbolic center for the entire Apennine region. By the late 1600s, the loggia surrounding the beautiful cloister—built around 1720 along with the adjacent pilgrims’ inn—was completed. Of great value is the sacred image, a ceramic majolica bas-relief by Andrea Della Robbia, depicting the Madonna with the Child standing on a white surface with a blue background.

At the end of the 1600s, religious fervor was such that enormous crowds of worshippers filled the sanctuary to pray. Each year, during the May rogation period, the icon returns to its people in the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Baragazza until the Ascension. Since 1947, the Dehonian Fathers have cared for the sanctuary and pilgrims from around the world, allowing them to experience the sublime mysteries of faith.

“Nestled among the mountains in the Sambro Valley, a small jewel stands out amid the woods, its stony body bearing traces of the past…”

Qualto is perhaps the oldest village in the municipality of San Benedetto Val di Sambro. Scholars mention it as early as 1094 under the name Aqualto. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, when the walls of a fortified castle surrounded the present-day Church of S. Gregorio Magno, built in 1300 and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, who in 1630 protected Qualto from the plague.

Surrounded by centuries-old chestnut groves, its isolation among the forests, at over 700 meters above sea level, has allowed it to preserve much of its original wild beauty. Stone walls, slate roofs, and dated architraves characterize many of the buildings, transporting visitors back in time and letting them still breathe the magic of the medieval era.

At Madonna dei Fornelli, the Via Mater Dei intersects with the Via degli Dei, one of Italy’s most popular hiking routes. Every year, thousands of walkers follow it from Bologna to Florence, partly along the ancient Roman road that once connected Bologna to Arezzo. It is an extremely captivating journey, combining ancient history with the unique experience of moving slowly on foot between two of the peninsula’s major cities.

Madonna dei Fornelli serves as an ideal meeting point for pilgrims on both routes—a crossroads of two different experiences, united by the desire to deeply explore the territory and connect with its people.

Following a dream and the stories of local people, Cesare Agostini and Franco Santi, two passionate amateurs, spent years searching for an ancient Roman road built to connect Bologna to Arezzo, which local legends placed on the Pian di Balestra plateau. Their efforts were rewarded in 1979 with the discovery of an ancient paved section on Monte Bastione at 1,190 meters above sea level, just 6 km from Madonna dei Fornelli.

Additional stretches were later rediscovered, supporting their theories. Today, the road is still the subject of significant scientific debate, but nothing diminishes the value of this incredible find: enormous stones once walked upon by Roman legionaries, medieval pilgrims, and modern hikers alike. It is an incredibly evocative place to explore, immersed in the green forests between Bologna and Florence.