From the center of Carpineti, behind the church, we take the trail that climbs through the woods up to the Castle of Carpineti. It is a challenging uphill section, just under 2 kilometers long with about 200 meters of elevation gain, which in June 2024 was partially affected by a couple of landslides.

Once at the castle with its vast panorama, the next stage is the village of Savognatica, which we reach by following the “Golden Path” southwards. This section of the route is shared by the Via Matildica and the Spallanzani trail, which climbs from Scandiano.

Shortly after, we come to a fork and descend to the left following signs for Cavola and Toano.

We cross the provincial road to pass beside the church of San Pietro and then descend to Savognatica.

From Savognatica, near a spring, we initially descend left onto a dirt road with a series of ups and downs through the woods and badlands until reaching the locality of Boschi di Coliolla, where the asphalt road briefly reappears.

We continue until the few houses of Coliolla, passing through grassy, dirt, and asphalt sections. After crossing a farm, we descend keeping right and following the trail markers to the bridge over the Secchia River.

We cross (pay attention!) the valley road to climb a few hairpin bends and take the trail that will lead us to the center of Cavola.

From Cavola, shortly after the church, near a farm, we take the dirt road on the left which will bring us to Stiano, then Corneto, Manno, and finally Toano.

In Stiano, if necessary, it is also possible to take the asphalt road directly up to Toano, a shorter route but one that does not pass through the villages of Corneto and Manno.