Exploring the Belvedere area

Pianaccio and Segavecchia

This text is an excerpt from a more comprehensive piece available on the Pianaccio Pro Loco website, curated by local historian Alessandra Biagi.

You do not reach Pianaccio by accident. Indeed, it requires a certain determination to navigate the few winding kilometres that separate it from the valley floor. However, as with all things hard-won, the spectacle that awaits upon arrival is truly unique. Thousands of trees—chestnuts, hornbeams, downy oaks, and, higher up, maples, beeches, and who knows what other species—form a seemingly impenetrable forest from which the first houses of the village suddenly emerge. How they managed to build them up here, in the few available metres between one sheer drop and another, remains a profound mystery. It is a balancing act between man and nature, inextricably linked here: the former forged the latter, and was in turn altered by it.

The history of all Pianaccio’s inhabitants has always had to reckon with the forest. This relationship was both positive, as they relied on it for the chestnuts essential for their survival and for the little work available locally, and negative, because such a harsh and hostile environment forever shaped their lives and character. They were a tough, somewhat rebellious people, forced to move to the plains for several months a year in search of work just to make ends meet. As a reaction, this forced separation bred within them a fierce sense of belonging, rarely found in other areas. In 1851 a description of the parish churches of the Bologna Diocese it is said about the inhabitants: “…the love of their native place has taken such deep root in their breasts that these crags, these woods, and these cascading waters are dearer to them than splendid cities.” The first question one asks upon arriving up here is why the earliest inhabitants chose such a difficult place to live, where “Nature seems to have gathered in the Sela gorge the most grandiose, wildest, and most terrible things she can create”. Unfortunately, there are no rational answers, other than the fact that these very places, so inaccessible today, once provided a refuge for those who somehow needed to protect or hide themselves. For this reason, like almost all high-mountain settlements, Pianaccio does not boast a noble history; there was neither the time nor the money to build towers or cathedrals. Rather, its past is simple and easy to read, yet no less fascinating for it.

The settlement of Pianaccio has been documented since at least the 15th century as a hamlet of the Monteacuto delle Alpi municipality and its parish. The earliest known records date back to this period, although the inhabitants deeply resented this arrangement—particularly their subordination to the church of San Niccolò in Monteacuto delle Alpi, where they were obliged to go on Sundays to attend services. While this might raise a smile today, at the time it represented a mark of submission that the proud people of Pianaccio found hard to stomach. It was only on 14 September 1831 that the village gained independence from the mother parish by archiepiscopal decree, thanks to the initiative of the Monteacuto parish priest, Don Floriano Biagi.

The name of the village, referred to in ancient documents as Planatium and later Pianazzo, indicates a hillside settlement on a small, poorly exposed plateau — hence the pejorative suffix. The people of Pianaccio, like those of Monteacuto, were known for their mercantile enterprise, which led to frequent trade with nearby Tuscany. Furthermore, during times of famine, like many inhabitants of the Belvedere area, they were forced to seek work elsewhere, primarily making charcoal in Maremma, Corsica, or Sardinia; alternatively, they were transhumant shepherds, spending the winter with their flocks on the plains of Bologna or Romagna.

This village is the birthplace of several illustrious figures: Guglielmo Fornaciari, an Air Marshal and First World War hero decorated with various medals for valour; Enzo Biagi, a renowned post-war journalist, to whom a museum in his birth house is dedicated; and Don Giovanni Fornasini, the parish priest of Sperticano (Marzabotto), who was murdered by the Nazis in October 1944 at just 29 years of age and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour. The small village square in front of the church, which is dedicated to Saints Anne and James the Great, is named in his honour.

Pianaccio—with its walls, stones, sandstone-slab roofs, and narrow alleys—boasts a perfect harmony among its elements, lending the village a sense of authenticity and naturalness that blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment. It is a natural architecture dominated by stone, still visible in its original state as you stroll through the Pianaccio Vecchio district or venture as far as the Fiammineda hamlet, where the date 1644 and a Maltese cross are carved into a window lintel. The old part of the village sits on a sort of natural terrace, with buildings clustered closely together to form a single agglomeration straddling the Silla valley. Here, you will find the village’s oldest buildings, dating back to 1513, featuring typically mountainous architectural traits: small windows, low portals, and lintels adorned with the mountain rose motif.

Alongside the Biagis, who originate from Pianaccio Vecchia, the Fornaciari family is also one of the most prominent in the village. They hail from the Sambuciòne district, where the buildings clearly adapt to the steep slope, built upwards rather than outwards. This district is home to a beautiful mill, the Mulino di Pietro. Dating back to 1880, it is still in perfect working order and has been recently restored, albeit for educational purposes rather than to resume commercial milling. Fed by the waters of the Fosso Bagnadori, this mill was the focal point for many locals bringing their dried chestnuts to be ground. Being right in the village, it was highly convenient, even if smaller than the Squaglia mill (which mainly served the people of Monteacuto) or the Taccàia mill (in the Panigale area), situated further downstream along the Silla river.

A hamlet of Pianaccio is Fiamminèda, dating from the 17th century and long uninhabited. Mentioned in the 1630 land registry as “a large house where many families lived”, it is reached via a lovely paved path. Today, this hamlet consists only of ruined houses protruding from the ground like skeletons. Just after leaving the village of Pianaccia towards Fiamminèda, there is a beautiful 1920s roadside shrine (maestà) on the left, and slightly further on, also on the left, a well once used for washing clothes.

Heading upwards to the edge of the village—where a well known as La Fontanina was once used for laundry—stands the Antica Locanda Alpina. It is still successfully run by the Gentilini family today and ranks among the finest restaurants in the entire Belvedere area, offering mountain specialities and traditional recipes.

Heading back down halfway through the village and following the signpost along the tarmac road, you reach the Segavecchia area. The name suggests the presence of an old sawmill (sega meaning saw, vecchia meaning old) for timber processing. But while a sawmill up here is easy to imagine, the adjective “old” seems somewhat unjustified. There is, however, another theory: linking the name to an ancient Mid-Lent ritual. In many parts of the Apennines—and likely in Pianaccio too—it was customary to break the penitential fast for one day by burning, or sometimes “sawing”, an effigy of a decrepit old woman representing Lent. This pagan-rooted interlude of merrymaking was fiercely opposed by the Church. Hence the hypothesis for the name Segavecchia: a secluded spot away from the village, safe from prying eyes, where the locals would gather in utter secrecy to revive the ancient Lenten rite of “sawing the old woman”. Here lies the Rifugio della Segavecchia (Segavecchia Mountain Refuge), another unmissable stop for those wishing to uncover local history, offering a convivial retreat in the cool shade of the woods. Managed by young members of the Cooperativa Madreselva, it opens seasonally and, especially in summer, hosts wonderful evenings featuring themed dinners, acoustic concerts, children’s workshops, poetry readings, and much more. Aside from its historical fame as the base of the Giustizia e Libertà partisan brigade—of which Enzo Biagi was a member—the area is vital for the chestnut-growing tradition. The forest and its fruits were common property, and for centuries, chestnut cultivation represented the inhabitants’ only means of feeding themselves. Once the harvest was complete, the chestnuts were carried to the casòne (the drying house), a modest building with just two openings: a small one at the top to load the chestnuts, and one on the ground floor to light the fire. A slow, continuous fire was kept burning without flames for forty days, ensuring only heat reached the drying racks above. Periodically, the chestnuts had to be turned; they were first piled into the four corners, then carefully spread out again following the exact reverse order. After this long waiting period, during which the chestnuts were guarded almost constantly, the peeling phase began. They were first placed in a b’gòngio (a wooden tub) and beaten with a heavy wooden stànga (pole), and finally freed of the last impurities using a vassòra (a winnowing tray), rhythmically tossing them into the air. The final step was the mill, which transformed the toil of over two months’ work into flour. Today, two casoni are still operational in Pianaccio, one of which is located along the Segavecchia road. They are well worth a visit in autumn, when they are lit up and you can see the casonanti (the drying-house workers) hard at work.

Rifugio Segavecchia serves as the starting point for numerous trails and is one of the ideal gathering place for the expert hiking and environmental guides of the Cooperativa Madreselva. From here, a variety of routes set off into the mountains, catering to different levels of experience. The principal hikes include:

• Monteacuto delle Alpi Circular Walk (Trail 113): A medium-difficulty circular route that crosses the Rio Causso stream as it heads towards the quaint village, offering a wonderful immersion into the surrounding woodlands.

• The ‘Direttissima’ to Corno alle Scale (Trail 117): A physically demanding route that climbs steeply from the refuge right up to the summit of Corno alle Scale (1,945 m). It is the perfect choice for experienced hikers in search of spectacular panoramic views.

• Corno alle Scale Circular Route (Challenging): A long, demanding loop that requires a solid level of fitness. Featuring an elevation gain of over 1,000 metres, it rewards walkers by taking them to the very highest point in the regional park.

• Ridge Trek (Passo del Cancellino – Monte Gennaio): A beautiful circular itinerary connecting the refuge to the Cancellino Pass, Mount Gennaio, and occasionally the Donnamorta Refuge. This trek treats hikers to wide-open ridges and breathtaking high-altitude landscapes.

• Monte La Nuda: A highly rewarding hike setting off from the refuge to reach the sweeping alpine pastures and the summit of Mount La Nuda.