Parco del Crostolo & the Apennine Foothills
Reggio Emilia sits at the foot of the Emilian Apennines, and within a 20-minute drive south of the city centre the landscape shifts dramatically from flat Po Valley farmland to rolling chestnut-forested hills cut through by the Crostolo river. The Parco Regionale del Crostolo and the wider foothills offer easy hiking, castle ruins, and the kind of panoramic views over the plain that put the whole
The Crostolo Valley
The river Crostolo carves a gentle valley through the first Apennine ridges, and the marked trails along its banks are accessible to all fitness levels. The path from Puianello to the Rocca di Canossa — the ruined fortress where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV famously stood barefoot in the snow in 1077 — is a 90-minute walk through oak and chestnut woodland that rewards with extraordinary views at the summit.
The Rocca itself is partially restored and open to visitors; the views from the tower across the Po Valley on a clear day stretch as far as the Alps. It is one of the most historically charged viewpoints in northern Italy and remains remarkably uncrowded.
Castles, Villages and Seasonal Highlights
The foothills are dotted with medieval borghi — Canossa, Rossena, Borzano — each with a castle or watchtower and a small trattoria serving mountain versions of the regional cuisine: mushroom-filled tortelli, boar ragù, chestnut polenta in autumn.
Spring brings wildflower meadows and the scent of broom; autumn turns the chestnut forests copper and gold and coincides with the porcini mushroom season. Either season makes the short drive south from Reggio Emilia feel like a genuine escape.
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