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Calestano, which is a small village of medieval origins, in the province of Parma, located at   500 meters of altitude and surrounded by a suggestive panorama. In the village it is possible to walk between ancient stone houses, narrow streets, till the 15^th century church of San Lorenzo. Not so faraway, the ancient path of the Francigena road, which allowed peregrines to get from Canterbury to Rome, passes here at the meeting point of  Via degli Scalpellini and Salti del Diavolo (see below).

Here, on a windy ridge facing the river  Beganza valley, 28 kilometres away from Parma and 42 kilometres away from Reggio Emilia, there is La Locanda del Vento, a charming B&B run by Catina Biasi and surrounded  by the colours, scents, lawns and the starry nights nights  of the countryside. The structure was once an ancient rural habitation era un tempo, nearly a small borgo, which gave shelter to wayfarers travelling the Parma hills because of pilgrimages or work. Catina, a wandering lover and also a peregrine, bought it because of its vicinity (5 kilometres) to the Francigena road: as a matter of fact, it is part of the reception facilities for peregrines, since it offers recovery and accompanying services.

The meticulous-conservative recovery gave back to the structure its ancient fascination, since new enjoyable spaces have been created, where cultural and ecological meetings are organised.

An entertaining gipsy  chariot has been recently transformed into a small outbuilding for the guests.

In addition, all the trees, among them there are also centuries old oaks, present in the property are cured by the arborist Stefano Lorenzi www.arboricolturestefanolorenzi.it,  according to the most recent maintenance and pruning techniques which respect the naturalistic context surrounding them.

La Via degli Scalpellini is a path for excursionists connecting the opposing sides of Val Baganza, between the municipalities of Terenzo, Berceto and Calestano, tracing back the way followed till the nineteen-fifties  by the local stonecutters to get to caves to extract stone. A new gangway for pedestrians allows to cross Baganza river all the year long and to enjoy the sight on  Salti del Diavolo. Along the path, information tables show graphs, texts, photographies, geological emergencies and the ways to manufacture and extract stones. The path has two starting points in the villages of Cassio and Chiastre and it can be walked following both directions. In the vicinities of Chiasso it introduces itself on the  Francigena road.

I Salti del Diavolo are particular sedimentary rock outcrops, which are similar to narrow pinnacles and formed more than 80 million years ago. They emerge suddenly among woods, small farms of the 16^th century and never ending lawns of daffodils and dandelions, which create a ridge more than 5 kilometres long. Their name comes from a legend according to which the stone pinnacles were  created by the scratches left by the devil’s escape, after seeing a small cross showing a local hermit saint.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)