The best traffic-free bike rides around Tornolo

Pria Burgheisa (Pietra Borghese) is a massive outcrop of mantle peridotites, among the best-known and most significant in the area. It lies on the southwestern edge of the Prato Mollo plateau, on the southern slopes of Mount Aiona, at an altitude of 1,465 m. It is a geosite of considerable petrographic, mineralogical, and regional geological interest, allowing us to study the evolution of a portion of the lithospheric mantle subsequently involved in the Apennine orogeny. The outcrop has a highly irregular shape: 30 m long, 10 m wide at its maximum, and 7–8 m high. The rocks are dark in color, ranging from blackish to brownish; the mass is affected by three main fracture systems, more or less orthogonal to each other, which fragment it into numerous square-shaped blocks. The surface of the blocks has a pitted appearance, as the pyroxene crystals, more resistant to erosion than olivine, remain prominent. At the outcrop, mantle foliation is evident, due to the presence of frequent pyroxenite bands. Source: Liguria Geosite Registry.

Situated at 717 meters above sea level, Santa Maria del Taro is a hamlet in the municipality of Tornolo (province of Parma), nestled in the heart of the Northern Apennines, near the border between Emilia and Liguria. Since the early Middle Ages, its strategic position along the ancient ridge road connecting the sea to the Po Valley has made it a transit and trade center, as well as a military and commercial control point. The name itself recalls the religious devotion that has permeated the town for centuries: the church-sanctuary dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, rebuilt in neoclassical style between 1807 and 1834, stands on an older structure and has been the spiritual center of the upper Taro Valley for centuries. The building, with its broad façade and stone bell tower, preserves a deep devotional tradition that is still alive. A short walk from the center is the Ponte dei Priori, a medieval humpbacked stone structure that once served as the only permanent access to the valley and symbolically marked the passage between the lands of the Malaspina and Fieschi families, two powerful feudal families of the Apennines. Over the centuries, Santa Maria del Taro has maintained an identity suspended between Emilian and Ligurian culture, evident in the features of its rural architecture, local dialects, and popular customs.

The Rifugio Casermette del Penna (1,400 m) is located within the Aveto Park, in a beautiful beech forest at the foot of Mount Penna, where the Forestry Corps barracks once stood. Renovated sustainably using local wood, photovoltaic panels, and a biomass boiler, the refuge offers 25 beds in both rooms and dormitories, as well as home-cooked meals prepared using local produce. Today, it is a popular destination for hikers, families, and groups, thanks in part to the large green lawn in front of the building: in summer, it's ideal for relaxing in the sun, picnicking, or letting children play freely. The location is perfect for exploring the trails of Mount Penna, the Lago Penna loop, the Pennino forests, or tackling more technical climbs to the rocky peaks. In winter, it's an ideal base for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

The Rifugio Faggio dei Tre Comuni (1,400 m), opened in 2011, is located in a beautiful clearing among the beech forests of the Ligurian-Emilian Apennines, at the symbolic meeting point of the municipalities of Bedonia, Tornolo, and Santo Stefano d'Aveto. Built of wood and concrete, it offered approximately 20 beds and was managed by the Parma branch of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI). Unfortunately, with the agreement between the CAI and the Unione Montana (Mountain Union) having expired, the refuge is now closed and abandoned. A real shame: if the facility were reopened at least during the summer months, it could once again become an ideal base for hiking and biking excursions to Monte Trevine, Monte Penna, and the source of the Taro River. The beauty of the site remains intact, and the refuge's clearing is a perfect stop for a break in the silence of the forest.

Near the hamlet of Sega, on the slopes of Mount Penna, lies the Taro River dam, built in the early 1900s to power the valley's hydroelectric power plants. Built in 1917–18 and renovated several times, the dam is still operational today, regulating the river's flow upstream from the Santa Maria del Taro and Strinabecco power plants. Nestled in a quiet, wild valley, the reservoir is a small jewel of industrial archaeology, perfectly integrated into the mountain environment. A site that tells an important story in the history of energy in the Apennines, it remains an active part of the Ligurian and upper Taro Valley hydroelectric network.

The Taro River's sources are located on the slopes of Mount Penna, at approximately 1,500 meters above sea level, in the heart of the Ligurian Apennines, within the Taro and Ceno Valleys Park. Here, in a cool beech forest, several springs merge to form the river's first rivulets. The Taro River originates as an Apennine torrent and flows for over 120 km toward the Po River, crossing valleys, plains, and areas of great natural beauty. Its course is known for its high biodiversity and the presence of well-preserved river environments, protected by protected areas and nature reserves.

This stretch of the dirt road that climbs from Perlezzi towards the Aiona–Pratomollo Refuge runs entirely through a splendid beech forest. Many of the trees are large, a sign of the age and majesty of the forest. In summer, you cycle in the shade of a cool green tunnel; in autumn, the landscape is tinged with warm shades, from yellow to brown. Even in winter, the forest retains a special charm, with the branching of the beech trees clearly visible in its elegant geometry. The surface is compact and smooth, making cycling easy. The difference in height is minimal, making this stretch particularly pleasant to ride.

The chapel near the Aiona-Pratomollo Refuge, dedicated to the Fallen of the "Balconia", commemorates a tragic period of the Second World War. "Balconia" is not a place, but the symbolic name given to a series of ferocious Nazi-Fascist roundups and massacres that struck the Ligurian Apennines between 1944 and 1945. This mountain area, a true "balcony" over the valleys, was strategic for the Resistance. The harsh German and Fascist repression aimed to annihilate the partisans and terrorize the civilian population that supported them, causing countless victims. The term "Balconia" thus became the dramatic synthesis of those sacrifices, a way to give a collective name to the pain and heroism of those who fought for freedom in those heights. The chapel is a monument to the memory of all of them. A touch of life and care: at the bottom of the left wall, a small fountain offers refreshment (especially in the summer months) and allows you to water the flowering plants that adorn the chapel, with the bottles made available.