We leave the Montalto plateau and head south toward the slopes of Monte Duro, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) notable for its rich flora and fauna.
Our route passes in front of the historic Hostaria Venturi on Via Francesco Lolli, then turns right onto Via Piana. We continue straight until we reach the cluster of houses in the village of Cavazzone, where we take the right-hand trail that descends through fields to the Rio Cesolla.
After crossing the stream, we begin a short but fairly challenging ascent through the shaded forest. The path is uneven, and during wet conditions, it may be slippery.
In the final stretch, the forest takes on a fairytale-like quality: we are inside the “Bosc d’la fola.” Emerging from the woods, we continue on the dirt path leading to the first houses of the San Giovanni di Querciola hamlet, which we keep to our left. Walking along Via Michelangelo, the trail turns left downhill to a crossroads with Via Prediera. We continue straight through the small village of Prediera on Via Spallanzani, passing under the archway of an old stone house.
After the houses, we turn left and pass in front of the local Casa della Carità. Here, we turn right and continue until we reach and pass the village of Ca’ de Pazzi, a rather curious toponym.
Beyond Ca’ de Pazzi, we leave the asphalt by turning right onto Via Soriva, a wide gravel road leading to Lake Tasso, a body of water once renowned for sport fishing.
From the lake, the trail briefly ascends, then contours along the slope beneath Monte delle Ripe, bringing us to our next intermediate stop: Giandeto.
We rejoin the asphalt at the road junction, continue straight toward the local cemetery, keeping the old football field to our left, heading toward the locality of Croveglia. We follow this small, quiet country road until we reach a fork where we bear right onto a dirt road toward Boramedia (or Buramedia) and continue straight along the trail, which soon leads us to the small settlement of Cerpiano. Near a farm, we find the asphalt again by turning right onto Via Onfiano.
We stay on Via Onfiano for a few hundred meters, then turn right onto Via Molini del Tresinaro, the stream that meanders through this valley. This is a very short section where we must be cautious of traffic. After about a hundred meters, before a bridge, we take the left-hand trail that ascends steeply. This is the so-called Sentiero di Mandra, named after the homonymous locality once part of the dense network of Matildic castles. Today, only some ruins and the chapel of Santa Liberata remain just above the Via Matildica path.
We continue along the trail, which becomes a dirt road leading to the cemetery of Pianzano. Here, we rejoin the asphalt up to the local church, which we bypass on the right, following a trail that leads to the intersection with the provincial road at Case Spadaccini.
We cross the provincial road carefully and ascend a gravel road to tackle the final climb of the day toward the plateau of the Pieve di San Vitale, a small historical-naturalistic gem of the Reggio Apennines.
From the area of the Pieve di San Vitale, we descend on the so-called “Sentiero Dorato,” a ridge path that brings us in sight of the Castello delle Carpinete, where we reconnect with the Stage 5 route coming from Canossa.
