The best traffic-free bike rides around Felino

Felino Castle is located in the hills between the Parma and Baganza rivers in Emilia, a manor surrounded by a wide, deep moat and defended by imposing bastions. You will enter an elegant and charming atmosphere in the interior rooms and enchanting outdoor spaces, where summer events can be held, illuminated by the vibrant light of torches and the romantic glow of the moon. The main courtyard is accessed via a bridge over a wide moat. The bridge, now fixed but a drawbridge until the 19th century, was the castle's last defense against invaders. The dark bronze door, once opened, reveals a bright, luminous courtyard overlooked by porticoes and galleries that, over time, have replaced the ancient accesses to the patrol walkways. The high walls, defensive towers, and mighty keep are surrounded by a lawn whose position and shape resemble a terrace overlooking the hills and the plains stretching below the castle. Today, after over twenty years of careful restoration, it can be admired in all its splendor. Its nighttime illumination is so evocative and powerful that it can be seen from kilometers away. SOURCE: https://castelliemiliaromagna.it/it/s/felino/6005-castello_di_felino/ HISTORY of the castle and other information; https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castello_di_Felino

The Parma Hills are beautiful!

⚠️ Pay attention to the signs in case of bad weather.

Locality of San Michele Tiorre Language Follow Edit The Church of San Michele is a Catholic place of worship with Baroque architecture, located at Piazza Pontirol Battisti 7 in San Michele Tiorre, a hamlet of Felino, in the province and diocese of Parma. It is the seat of a parish within the pastoral area of the Pedemontana. HISTORY: The original chapel was built before the 11th century and dedicated, together with the entire Cinghio Valley, to the Archangel Michael by the Benedictines of the Abbey of San Benedetto in Polirone, to whom it was donated by Pope Paschal II in 1105 and confirmed by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV of Franconia the following year. The friars built a cloister next to the place of worship, which they entrusted to a group of monks led by a prior. The existence of the chapel is also attested by a document from 1230, when the "Ecclesia di Sancti Michaelis de Toliorio" depended on the parish church of San Martino di Arola;[3] the Prior Sancti Michaelis de Toiorio was also mentioned in the Ratio Decimarum of 1299. Between 1699 and 1700, the ancient building was almost completely rebuilt in Baroque style at the initiative of Abbot Andrea Rainieri; at the time, the church was dependent on the abbey of Santa Maria della Neve di Torrechiara. The Benedictines maintained control of the place of worship until the suppression of religious orders sanctioned by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century. On July 15, 1971, the church was severely damaged by a strong earthquake, which caused it to be closed for worship. The building was subsequently consolidated and renovated both externally and internally, with the side altars and Baroque choir lofts being removed. The work was completed in late 1974, and the church was solemnly inaugurated by the Bishop of Parma, Amilcare Pasini. On December 23, 2008, the church was again damaged by earthquakes; restoration work, begun the following year, was completed in 2014. SOURCE and other information: https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Michele_(Felino,_San_Michele_Tiorre)

Very useful cycle and pedestrian bridge that crosses the Baganza stream

Great place for a stop and to fill up your water bottle

Small bridge over the Baganza torrent, only for cycling and pedestrians - it is located in the town of San Vitale Baganza and connects with the Poggio di S. Ilario B.

"It still remains to be added," writes Sigfried Grän OFM in 'Noah, the builder of the ark and inventor of viticulture', "what we left out above in the summary of the Noah story. Noah not only survives the flood and, after his rescue, offers a burnt offering to the Creator. He also incidentally becomes the inventor of viticulture. (...) In ancient Israel, the vine was considered the noblest of all plants. To own a vineyard, to enjoy its fruits and to be able to rest in the peace of its shade was ... the epitome of a happy and blessed existence." (Source: "In the Land of the Lord. Franciscan Magazine for the Holy Land", Issue 4/2024)