Slow travel on the backroads means you’ll have time to feel a vibe, coming from the hills and vineyards and olive groves, from the castles and churches, from the countryside..
This route takes you to Torriana and Montebello. But before that, if you’re up for a short hike to the top of a hill, set your navigator for Santuario di Saiano. Along SP258 you will come upon the turn to Ponte Verucchio. Take it. You’ll cross the Marecchia River and just after the bridge make a hard left turn. Stay to the left, along the river, on Via Palazzo. The drive to the Saiano trailhead is narrow and bumpy in places. Consider the symbolism, as your destination is a hilltop hermitage. No one there but ghosts of the past. The Romans referred to this rock spur rising from the river as Saxum Jani–perhaps there was a pagan temple for the god Janus. In Italian the term became Sasso di Giano, which became the present day Saiano.
The road deadends at a small parking lot. You will pass the way up, a paved road for pedestrian use only, rising toward the hermitage on your right. It’s a 10-15 walk, a climb. The final approach to the hilltop is rocky. Again, the symbolism. You will be asked–a sign says so–to maintain silence. There’s a chapel, and a path around behind it, and surrounding natural beauty. Tune in for a few minutes. Sit still. The silence is good.
Then go to lunch.
Down by the bridge where you turned for Saiano, go left. In 50 yards you’ll see the left turn for Torriana. There are five good reasons to head up this hill. One is the view. As you climb toward Torriana, behind you the view of Verucchio is spectacular.
Reasons two and three, Malardot and the castle above Torriana. When you reach the stop in Torriana, go left and continue up the hill. In one kilometer you see the right turn for Osteria I Malardot and beyond it the castle. Drive to the end of the road, past Malardot, a little over a kilometer, to the castle. The view from up there merits a walkabout. On the way back down the road, stop at I Malardot for the coolest lunch spot you’ve ever seen. Fifty photos cannot do it justice. And the food is good. Ravioli with artichoke stuffing? Just do it.
Back at the junction, with Torriana down the road to your left, turn right and keep going. The next little hilltown is Montebello. The drive up to Montebello is worth it just to be on that road–great views, sharp turns. Yes, reasons four and five, there’s a castle, supposedly slightly haunted. You’ll see the image of Azzurrina, the ghost of a 14th century girl born into a noble family who met a tragic end. Inside the city gate, straight ahead is Osteria del Borgo, where, if you passed on Malardot, you will eat very well. Or maybe you didn’t pass on Malardot, in which case might you decide to come back to Montebello. That would be a wise decision.
Santuario della Madonna di Saiano. Via Saiano, 14, 47825 Poggio Torriana.
I Malardot. Via Castello, 35, 47825 Poggio Torriana. +390541675194
Osteria del Borgo. Via Castello di Montebello, 24, 47825 Montebello. +390541675444