The Sentiero del Tidone in the Colli Piacentini area is traditionally traveled on foot.
When the Po River recedes, the torrent that gives the valley its name becomes the protagonist: going up towards its source, you come across the Molato Dam, an imposing work completed in 1928 that created Lake Trebecco, an artificial basin 2.5 kilometers long.

Among the itineraries to be considered for a day’s trekking in Piacenza hinteland, it is worth mentioning those in Val Nure, towards the very green Nero Lake, of glacial origin, and towards the small but fascinating Moo Lake and towards the Bino Lake, an extraordinary work of nature that has divided it into two parts, decorating the largest of them in summer with a splendid brushstroke of yellow water lilies.

The walk among the beautiful pools of water increases the appetite, which can be satisfied by savoring the tasty Piacenza PDO cured meats (coppa, pancetta, and salame) and other pork delicacies such as mariola, a Slow Food presidium.

Immediatamente sotto la cima più alta dell’Appennino Parmense che presta loro il nome, i Laghi del Sillara sono la meta ideale per un’esperienza di trekking di una giornata alla scoperta dei gioielli glaciali tra Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco Emiliano e Parco Regionale dei Cento Laghi.

Situated just below the highest peak of the Parma Apennines, which gives them their name, the Sillara Lakes are the ideal destination for a day’s trekking to discover the glacial jewels between the Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco Emiliano and the Regional Park of Cento Laghi.

As is so often the case, what makes this excursion unique is the whole itinerary, which, starting from Pratospilla, passes successively through a series of lakes of glacial origin, such as Ballano and Verde Lakes (1500 m a.s.l.), where the beech trees are the prelude to a suggestive chromatic alternation of woods and blueberry meadows, until it reaches the actual twin lakes of Sillara, at 1730 m a.s.l.

From here it is possible to climb to the top and enjoy a panorama that stretches from the Lunigiana to the Apuan Alps and the sea.

Don’t miss the porcini mushroom specialties.

Trekking in the province of Reggio Emilia is not complete without a visit to Lake Calamone, an authentic pearl of water at over 1,300 meters above sea level, dotted with lilies, orchids, and primroses and dominated by Mount Ventasso and its beech and conifer groves.

Created by glacial exaction and known until the 19th century by the name of the peak above it, the lake was for hundreds of years at the center of the legend – easily debunked in 1762 by no less than the biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani – who believed it communicated with the abysses of the sea.

In the basin of Mount Prado, it is worth devoting a day to Lake Bargetana, the quiet main attraction of an unspoiled place surrounded by one of the most suggestive panoramic corners of the Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco Emiliano, with a view of Mount Cusna.

Don’t miss the porcini mushroom dishes, prepared in most of the restaurants and refuges of the area, where you can taste all the nuances.