Rovolo is a small town of considerable architectural interest. Its name derives from the latin “rubus”, as it was an area full of thorn bushes. Only a round-arch portal remains from the 13th and 14th centuries, with square ashlar and regular courses of the same type as the tower-houses of Vitriola (in the City of Montefiorino). Along the urban route dating back to the 15th/16th century, are numerous buildings that still show important architectural features such as a monolithic trilobated window decorated with two carved six-pointed roses and a Maltese cross.

Reggiana Road
This cart-track named Strada Reggiana follows the itinerary from Osteria del Monte. It is a stretch of the old junction connecting the High Apennines to the parish Church of Toano by way of the Ponte di Cadignano - Cadignano Bridge.

Frassinoro
According to tradition Frassinoro drives its name from an old image of the Madonna which, when hung from an ash tree, radiated bright golden rays at night. In 1077 Beatrice, Matilda’s mother, founded an Abbey where a chapel dedicated to the “golden ash-tree” had been previuosly erected. Until the 14th century the Benedectine monastery exerted vast power over the territory between the Dolo and Dragone Valleys. In the 15th century it was destroyed by a landslide and the Church owes its current appearance to restoration work at different ages and to recent intervention. Of the old Abbey several fragments remain, such as the columns of the bell-tower. The interior has three naves supported by low, rectangular piers and a splendid wooden ceiling. An interesting triangular relief set into the second pier on the left shows a human figure stretching out his arms, flanked by two griffins. Some scholars have suggested it was originally a Longobard tombstone, while recent criticism dates it back to the 11th century. An originally gilt dove-shaped copper ciborium dating back to the end of the 12th century, the “Eucharistic dove”, can be seen in the Rectory. This rare artefact was placed on a plate and hung by a chain over the altar. It has been identified as the work of goldsmiths from Limoges, and is thus evidence of the frequent contacts between this Abbey and the French Monasteries in the 12th/14th centuries.

Detour to Frassinoro

From the Tracciolino Road [mt. 743] to Frassinoro [mt 1131] (connection with the Bibulca Route)
Excursion time: 2 hours 10 min
Cars can be left at Romanoro, Rovolo and Frassinoro.

As it has already been noticed in the description of the second stage, the detour to Frassinoro starts from the Tracciolino Road. The cart-track on the left of the road goes uphill, at first across uncultivated meadows, then, after a straight stretch, through rows of bushes.You turn right along the cart-track and walk past a few ruins. After turning left the path slopes a little more steeply as far as the provincial road, just below the village of Rovolo (20 min) (1). Walk along this road for about 20 metres then turn right at the first house, and take the paved path winding up between old stone houses. The path turns right again to the main road, goes on for 200 metres and finally turns left into the paved road leading uphill (10 min). After a 300- metre walk, and near the last isolated house, the last stretch of the road uphill becomes an unpaved track. You walk uphill through woods and cultivated fields along a cart-track known as the Reggiana Road (2) until you reach a “Y” junction. While the right stretch leads to the secluded area of “I Prati ” - The Meadows - (30 min), the left goes on for 200 metres and the walk continues along a cart-track cutting across the slope of the mountain. After crossing a glade, you leave the cart-track and take the steep path that climbs the north-western side of Mount Mattioli. The pathway leads back to a cart-track which passes through beechwoods untill reaching the hill, linking the ridge between Mattioli Mountains and Uccelliera (20 min). The path crosses the hill and starts sloping down to Frassinoro (3). As it leaves the woods and reaches the crossroad with the Bibulca Route, the way becomes better marked out. If you go straight down from here you can detour to Cà Giannasi (10 min). If you follow the cart-track left, past the cross-country skiing centre, you will reach the connecting path to Romanoro (15 min). Turn left downhill and in a few minutes the path will lead you to the square of Frassinoro (5 min).