Spring has finally
arrived after an awful winter. The
Apennines have suffered badly from landslides. Lots of roads are
closed or are badly damaged in the mountains.
Bianello near Quattro Castella one of my favourite places to take a walk
at lunchtime is devastated.
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| Landslide, Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
Spring has
exploded, we have passed from winter to 23° almost summer temperatures in a
week. I photographed the
olive trees at Bianello against the incredibly
lush green grass.
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
On Sunday I managed
to find time for a good long walk in the foothills below the Apennines. I started from the
castle at Montegibbio, MO.
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| Castello di Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Castello di Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Castello di Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Castello di Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Castello di Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Castello di Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
Montegibbio castle like lots of minor monuments in Italy is a bit
run down, but all the same rather charming. The castle it seems is closed due
to the recent earthquake. I love these
minor monuments which Italy has in infinite abundance, one is usually the only
visitor and the sense of the past is far stronger than in the overrun cities
such as Florence and Pisa.
After I had finished looking at the castle, I walked
along the crest of a hill towards Nirano before descending down into the valley below the spectacular
calanchi that form Rio Chianca. In the
16th century oil was
extracted here for use in oil lamps.
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| Montegibbio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Rio del Petrolio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Rio del Petrolio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Rio del Petrolio,Sassuolo,MO |
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| Rio Chianca, Sassuolo,MO |
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| Rio Chianca, Sassuolo,MO |
This whole walk was not along marked CAI footpaths
so at least a couple of times footpaths that should of existed did not exist.
Next was a stiff
100 metre climb up to the ridge above the mud volcanoes at the Salse di Nirano.
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| Villa, Sassuolo,MO |
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| Rio Chianca, Sassuolo,MO |
Now it was time to
return. I took another ridge that passes
through Villa which with stiff ups and downs closes the circle to Montegibbio.
One evening after
work I took a detour home passing the castle
at Sarzano near Casina RE. The castle
has been recently restored, but this means that you cannot wander around inside
it as you once could.
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| Cavandola, RE |
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| Sarzano,Casina,RE |
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| Sarzano,Casina,RE |
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| Sarzano,Casina,RE |
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| Sarzano,Casina,RE |
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| Sarzano,Casina,RE |
Another quick walk
after work took me to the calanchi above Quattro Castella. This surreal landscape is always
interesting to photograph.
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| Bianello, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Calanchi, Bergonzano, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Calanchi, Bergonzano, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Calanchi, Bergonzano, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Calanchi, Bergonzano, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Calanchi, Bergonzano, Quattro Castella, RE |
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| Calanchi, Bergonzano, Quattro Castella, RE |
I am still
exploring the possibilities of my newly adopted camera system. I went to one of my favourite tower houses at Cavazzone near Vezzano, RE . I quite like
the way the newer sensor manages to capture the colour of the stonework.
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| Cavazzone, Vezzano, RE |
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| Cavazzone, Vezzano, RE |
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