The route starts from Rastignano train station, which can be reached by train from Bologna. We immediately test our resistance (or that of the batteries), passing from 100 to 390 metres in less than 3 kilometers; once we reach the summit of Monte Calvo, the view will certainly repay the effort. We goes downhill, paying attention to the fork on the left of Via Madonna dei Boschi, which will take us to the Croara Park, a karst area of the Parco dei Gessi, rich in naturalistic and historical emergencies, such as the Cava a Filo or the Palestrina, a gypsum quarry dating back to Roman times, and sinkholes such as the scenic Candele hole or the Spipola cave. We cross the park along its paths until we reach the Church of Santa Cecilia alla Croara, where the track of Via del Casone begins, taking us to the Zena Valley and the visitor center of the Parco dei Gessi, near which is the Farneto karst cave (guided tours by reservation). Shortly after, on the left, begins the ascent that will become a dirt road that will take us to the head of the Calanchi di Casola Canina. With a short stretch of path (bike by hand) we will connect to the road of Casola Canina, where we can go to visit the ruins of the ancient church of San Salvatore, and then descend back to the valley. The road goes up the valley and then climbs to the left until it takes us to the “Whale of the Zena Valley,” a fiberglass installation laid in the place where the remains of a cetacean dating back to the Pliocene were found. We continue to descend until the last uphill climb to finally descend finally at the height of Pianoro. There we will be able to decide whether to take the train directly for the return journey or to take advantage of the beautiful valley-floor bike path that will take us back to the Rastignano station.

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