The best traffic-free bike rides around Varano De' Melegari

Built in 854 and rebuilt in the 11th century, it is one of the most valuable Romanesque parish churches in the Parma area, also due to the presence of sculptural pieces from the school of Benedetto Antelami, with fantastic animals and the figures of King Liutprand and Saint Moderannus. On the facade, the vigorous slab depicting hell and the seven deadly sins. A book of stone for pilgrims. Stop on the Pasta, Tomato and Fragno Truffle Route - 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘻𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 - see the dedicated collection Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/weGFpR6JwC2RYjkb8

First mentioned in 854, Santa Maria Assunta is among the oldest parish churches in the diocese of Parma. In the mid-11th century, the church with three naves and three apses was built, whose structure is the basis of the current building. A few decades later, to offer shelter to pilgrims, a front portico was added to this structure, wide three bays and deep two, later closed and integrated into the church. In the same period, a pulpit was created, dismantled at the end of the 16th century, of which some sculptural parts are preserved. A first side chapel was built in the 14th century, the second in the 16th. The other chapels were added to the church during the renovation work that from 1712 to 1745 adapted it to the taste of the time, plastering the walls and vaulting the naves. The radical restoration work carried out from 1927 to 1942 removed much of the 18th-century additions.

The Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta, also known as the pieve di Fornovo, is one of the most important and evocative Romanesque-style Catholic places of worship in the province of Parma. Located in Piazza IV Novembre in Fornovo di Taro, the church represents an extraordinary historical testimony, inextricably linked to the medieval flow of pilgrims along the Via Francigena. Cited for the first time in an official document from the year 854, the church probably stands on the remains of a previous Roman temple dedicated to the god Mercury. The current basilica layout with three naves and three apses dates back to the mid-11th century. A few decades later, a front portico was added to offer shelter to travelers, later integrated into the facade itself.

Fornovo di Taro is a municipality of about 6,000 inhabitants in the province of Parma, strategically located at the outlet of the Val Taro and at the beginning of the Cisa State Road. An important crossroads between the Po Valley and the Apennines, it is famous for being a fundamental stage of the Via Francigena and for the historic Battle of 1495 between the army of Charles VIII and the Italian League.

Romanesque parish church of great historical interest, the bas-reliefs on the facade are interesting

The Pallavicino Castle of Varano de' Melegari is an extraordinary medieval fortress located on a sandstone spur in the Ceno valley, in the province of Parma. Renowned for being a perfect example of defensive military architecture, the castle was designed to be completely impregnable. It is part of the prestigious circuit of the Castles of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Pontremoli.

Vogoleno Castle is very beautiful

Church of San Pietro: a restored building from 1668. Nearby there was a picnic table.