This special is dedicated to the lovers of the simple places that are rooted in history and to the nature lovers.

Let’s visit before the village of Calestano.
At the slopes of the Apennines, this medieval village, thanks to the recent maintenances, restored its ancient buildings regaining its original aspect.
For the gourmands, we remember that Calestano is a land of truffle that flavors the local dishes.

Driving along the road climbing on the hills, at about 3.6 ml, Ramarano, with its imposing castle, deserves a detour. It’s a tiny village with typical stone houses, perfectly preserved.
The only remark: the castle, towering on the village and the Baganza dale, is closed; it is supposed for restoration works.

Going on for 2.4 ml, we reach Chiastre, and here, if you do not feel up to driving along a dirt road, you should take a walk to admire the “Salti del Diavolo” (Devil’s Jumps), narrow steeples and rock faces sharply coming out from the ground aligning for about 5 km toward north-west.
The folk tale as it that these are the marks of the devil, scared by a hermit.
In this area, a sort of heaven for the hikers, there are many marked paths

A short history:
Calestano is a medieval village, at the beginning fief of the Ligurian family Fieschi passed to the Tarasconi in 1600.
The fief was suppressed by the Napoleonic reforms.
During the German occupation of the 2nd World War, three members of the Hebrew family Mattei found refuge here. Due to this solidarity, on 2nd August 1999, the Institute Yad Vashem of Jerusalem awarded Calestano as “Righteous Among the Nations”.

The castle of Ravarano was built in 1000 by the Commune of Parma to defend the Lunigiana.
Entered into the possessions of the Pallavicino, it was completely destroyed in 1267.
The date of the reconstruction is unknown and many times it changed of property.
Stern and without embattlement in the interior, in the central room there are an old fireplace, a collection of precious heirlooms, several portraits, a weapons collection, ceramics and period furniture.

A bit of geology:
The “Salti del Diavolo”, sedimentary formation of the Cretaceous (about 80 millions of years ago), are due to a gigantic marine fall, which spreads out in the subsoil from Monferrato to the Apennines.
The spectacular outcrop is subsequent to the sub vertical disposition of the formation and of the differential erosion.

For more info:
wikipedia: Calestano
wikipedia: castello di Ravarano
wikipedia: salti del Diavolo