Useful numbers & GPS coordinates

Fire Department: 115
Ambulance and Medics: 118
Emilia Romagna Alpin Rescue: 800 848088
State forest Patrol: 1515
Italian Alpine Club – Bologna: 051 234856
Italian Alpine Club – Firenze: 055 6120467
Ecological Volounteer Guards - Bologna: 051 6347464

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Here are the 10 points of interest not to be missed along the Via degli Dei, with the relative GPS coordinates:

 

Bologna

Known for the oldest university in Europe, Bologna in recent years has been rediscovered by Italian and foreign visitors as an authentic destination full of charm: the perfectly preserved medieval old town with its 40 km of arcades, the varied gastronomic offer that reconciles tradition and innovation, an intense and dynamic cultural activity, the dimensions on a human scale and the luxuriant nature of the surrounding areas have made Bologna the ideal destination for getting to know the essence of good Italian life.



Chiusa di Casalecchio

Where is the oldest hydraulic work in Europe still in operation? Along the Via degli Dei, in Casalecchio di Reno. Built in 1208, the imposing 800-year-old Chiusa "leads" the waters of the river Reno towards the city of Bologna through a system of paraports and canals. For centuries it was the "engine" of the Bolognese industry and in particular of the famous silk mills that allowed Bologna to become one of the European silk capitals, whose fabrics were sought by all the courts.

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Ponte Vizzano

While walking along the Via degli Dei, you could never imagine to come across a wooden bridge suspended on the Rhine by the Brooklinian character ... Instead, by taking a short detour, you arrive at Ponte di Vizzano, in a place out of time that makes you understand walker to have finally started a new journey, even through history.

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Riserva del Contrafforte Pliocenico

Tired of fatigue would you want to be on the beach to collect shells? Along the Via degli Dei you can do it: a real outdoor geological museum, the Pliocene Contrafforte Reserve is a place characterized by the presence of fossils and shells that bear witness to the fact that in these places, during the Pliocene (5-2 million years ago), there was the sea. A large gulf where several rivers flowed (the present Reno, Savena, Setta) that formed a wide "beach".

 

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La Flaminia militare

Walking on a road built by the Romans in 187 BC it is an emotion difficult to forget. As is the story of the two discoverers (Cesare Agostini and Franco Santi) who began their research convinced by the position, the stories collected and the discovery of a bronze coin dating back to the III century. As in the case of Maria Reiche, in 1979 they identified the first part of the Roman pavement and for twenty years they dug by themselves, bringing to light others for a total of about 11 km.

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Convento Bosco ai Frati

The wooden crucifix attributed to Donatello, located at the Convent Bosco ai Frati, probably built before the year 1000, deserves a detour. In this place, the Franciscan Bonaventura di Bagnoregio received in 1273 the investiture cardinalizia from Gregorio X: the friar, surprised from the papal messengers with the cardinal's insignia to wash the dishes, he asked them to hang them on a branch (still visible during the visits) and wait for the end of his work.

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Il Castello del Trebbio

Have you ever thought of discovering along the Via degli Dei the place where the famous captain of fortune Giovanni from the Black Bands lived for a long time? We are in the Tuscan valley of the Medici Villas and among the fourteen proclaimed "Unesco Heritage" is the Castello del Trebbio, an imposing building, commissioned by Casimo de 'Medici, on a hill overlooking the whole Mugello. Place loved by Lorenzo the Magnificent for hunting days, in 1476 also hosted the very young Amerigo Vespucci fleeing from the plague of Florence.

 

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Santuario di Montesenario

"There is a mountain far from Florence about eight miles. When it is struck by the wind, from the inside of its caves a sound echoes. For this echo, since ancient times, the mountain has taken the name of Sonario or Sonaio [...] "- This is the description, taken from an ancient chronicle written shortly after 1317, by Montesenario. On the top of the mountain, in 1233, seven noble Florentines founders of the order of the Servants of Mary retreated. They built, with the material they found (stones and timber), an oratory and a small dwelling to lead you poor and contemplative life.

 

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Fiesole

Always considered the "terrace" of Florence, but with a strong identity, Fiesole is a jewel village of the Florentine hills. Of Etruscan foundation, it still preserves an evocative archaeological area that documents its ancient origin in which there is also the Roman settlement with the remains of the theater, the baths and the temple.

 

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Firenze

Six hundred years ago, Florence represented the starting point of Humanism and the Renaissance. Since 1982 it has been UNESCO heritage for its importance in the history of European and world art and among museums, palaces, churches and good food offers ... the embarrassment of choice!