Gateway of the Apennine
A postcard from the 20th Century
It's the classic panorama of the National Park's northern side. An east-west ridge of 2000-metre high mountains, white in the winter, green or rust-coloured in the other seasons, according to the shade of the woods: the perfect tetrahedron of Mt. Ventasso, the silhouette of nearer Mt. Cusna like a sleeping giant, Mt. Antoniano with the sharp silhouette of Carpinete Castle. The sight opens suddenly along State Road 63 "del Cerreto", near Felina: in the foreground, the "Salame" round tower and the majestic bulk of Pietra di Bismantova like a massive, upside-down anvil overlooking the valley below. Nine centuries ago, Matilde di Canossa described it as a curtis egregia, a rich and fertile countryside, which still thrives today with its villages scattered among the fields.
This is the gateway of the Apennine, welcoming those coming up from the plain or the cities, travelling towards the Tuscan or Ligurian seaside, on the passes of the National Park.
