We started early in the morning since was a sunny day, to avoid traffic. It wasn’t enough unfortunately thanks to italian very insufficient highway system, we had to wait 3h before arriving there (usually we can drive there without any traffic, in 1h and 30min!).

There was so many people, and the shops were open even if was Sunday, as often happens. We stopped by a nearby ice-cream shop to get a ice-cream cup, since we remember that they make very good one, and indeed! was delicious…!

We went a bit to the seaside even if was still too cold to swim, but still we engaged with some people in a beach-volley match. In the late evening we came back, because we ran out of money to spend so we decided to go back home and have a dinner in-house, rather than going out in one of those restaurant which serve tasteful fish food…. sigh ;-(

Overall though, was a very nice trip and a good way to spend our last sunny sunday.

Indeed, as soon as I arrived there and parked my car in the spacious parking place in the “Rifugio Lagdei” (one of the many starting points for excursions), I was completely astonished. The park is located in the south of Parma, about 50-60km from it. The best way to reach it in my opinion is to take the highway of the “Cisa” (Highway A15 Parma-La Spezia) , but you can take a look for complete directions here.

this is the view you get on your arrival to Lagdei

a curious fountain made with a giant rock with a small lizard carved into the stone

On Lagdei there is a big wooden bridge that goes all around the perimeter of the starting point, which is really huge. Along the path there are various signs explaining the historical events that leads to the creation of this place. It is both relaxing and very interesting.

the wooden path

If you don’t mind a short walking, about 1h, you can climb up from Lagdei to the lake called “Lago Santo” (Holy Lake) which offers really a spectacular sight, just take a look at the picture below:

wonderful, isn’t it? another option, is to start from the point of Lagoni, and take a different path that leads you up to 1400m on sea level, until you reach another lake called “Lago Scuro” (Dark Lake). This one is longer, but offers more possibilities to explore several places in one trip.

this curious hole was in a big rock nearby the path

here it is, the Lago Scuro in all its splendour!

The latest 2 pictures below are taken from the starting point of Lagoni. The cool thing is that both Lagdei and Lagoni are easily reachable with car, even during winter, so you can start walking straight into the park.

a beautiful view of Lagoni

another picture of Lagoni

All in all, I really recommend to visit this natural park if you have the chance. It will be a travel to remember for sure! Ah, was about to forget: inside the park there are over 150km of cycling paths for mountain-bikes, all well-signaled. So if you like trekking, this is a very good place!

We started our trip a few km after the village of Castelluccio, as you can see from the pictures below those are still places very green and clean, with almost no pollution. The shelter on top of the mountain is one of the few buildings you can see in the whole valley!

a panoramic view of the mountain surroundings

We made that trip a few years ago, when the heat and humidity in Bologna was unbearable. We took the car and after around 1h of driving we reached Porretta, then Castelluccio and finally we left the car to take a walk up to the top of the mountain. The path isn’t particularly hard or difficult, even if you aren’t used to walk in the mountains.

and here it is, the shelter on the top of “Monte Cavallo”

When we were almost arrived it started to rain, the classic summer thunderstorm that comes all of a suddenly, so we had to run to reach the shelter on the top. When we finally saw it in the middle of the wood, we were relieved!

We spent several minutes under the shelter’s roof, watching the rain falling all around us. It was awesome, fascinating. It was both relaxing but at same time intimidating, showing the true nature’s wrath!

Then after around 30 minutes the thunderstorm was over, and we came back to our car, with still the memory of those beautiful places in our mind.

The castle’s age is around 869 d.c. and in the following centuries it became first a feud of Landi from Piacenza, then was occupied by Farnese family and lastly, went under “Ducato di Parma” domain.

It was built through several steps, and often renovated, the fortress is one of the best examples of medieval citadel that remains in good conditions even nowadays.

It surely will be fascinating to visit it, walk along the high walls or in the tall towers, or even visit some wicked places like the Torture Chamber where you can admire still the executioner’s axe!

But there’s more: the Castle of Bardi is rumoured to being haunted by a ghost, that seems to have appeared several times during the recent history. The legend says that it must be the ghost of Moroello, a man who died violently and who was in love with Soleste, the young daughter of the Castle Lord.

So as you can see is an old castle rich of fascinating history, as witnesses the recent discovery: an old parchment that speaks about a hidden treasure inside the castle…

Even the surrounding of Bardi are full of interesting places to visit. From the local flora and fauna, with wonderful naturalistic scenery, to more mystery and adventure if you decide to visit old abandoned towns like Lavacchielli, Caneto, Agneto, Ca’ Scapini.

A few km away from Parma, the Torrechiara castle’s lies on the top of a “small” hill. Surrounded by vineyards, it offers the visitors a wonderful panoramic view of the landscape. You can already spot it from distance, from the road that leads to its feet, and suddenly you feel immersed in a magic atmosphere.

Built by Pier Maria Rossi between the 1148 and 1460, with the purpose of building both a citadel and a luxurious residence, managing to accomplish both goals. It is considered the best and most visited castle of the whole Parma’s region. Those characteristics made it a perfect location for the movie “Lady Hawke”by Richard Donner.

Inside there aren’t many furnitures, mostly decorated walls/rooms, the most famous of them is the “Golden Chamber” rebuild in 1911 by Amedeo Bocchi e Daniele De Strobel. If you want to rest there during the night, you can rent a room in the “Locanda del Castello”, opened all year, which is just inside the castle walls. If instead you’re looking for a great restaurant, we recommend “Antico Mulino”, just below the castle entrance, where you can find delicious dishes!

view of the castle from below, really majestic!

the castle entrance