A loop hike suitable for everyone, undemanding but very impressive, in theTuscan-Emilian Apennines.

The starring role in this itinerary is undoubtedly played by the Dardagna stream, whose western branch descends from Mount Spigolino and accompanies the traveler for a good part of the journey, then performs repeated jumps. The fairy-like appearance of the forest within the Corno alle Scale Regional Park gives even more magic to the Dardagna Falls, which emerge among the vegetation in an exciting setting.

Technical description:
The itinerary starts at the Shrine of Our Lady of Maple Tree. A few steps below the Sanctuary begins CAI Trail No. 331A, which immediately plunges into a fir forest, which gives way to a beech forest until it meets and crosses the Rio Cavo.
The reference path now becomes no. 333 and already we begin to hear the roar of the Dardagna, the intensity of which is greatest during the spring thaw. A small wooden bridge allows you to cross the Rio Cavo, and in a few minutes you are at the base of the first jump of the Dardagna (15 m). With the help of some wooden steps, the trail continues to climb, bypassing the waterfall on the left, and the jumps follow one another until the seventh and last, the most impressive (30 m). The route briefly reaches the junction with path No. 331, which leads back to the starting shrine through the forest. Alternatively, you can continue for a few steps to the next fork and take trail No. 339 on the left, which in about thirty minutes of walking leads to the Cavone refuge, from where you can quickly reach the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Acero along a paved road.

Route type: loop
Length: 5 km
Elevation gain: 330 m
Downhill elevation gain: 310 m
Highest point: 1331 m
Lowest point: 1064 m

Technical tips:
The route is easy and within anyone’s reach, as well as being mostly sheltered from the sun by vegetation.

Municipality of departure: Lizzano in Belvedere
Starting location: Shrine of Our Lady of Maple Tree
Municipality of arrival: Lizzano in Belvedere
Finish location: Shrine of Our Lady of Maple Tree

Recommended period:
all year round

Where to park:
At the Shrine of Our Lady of Maplewood