Do you know the legend of the Manodori?🫰 I went to Valestra (RE) in the Municipality of Carpineti on the Reggio Emilia Apennines and took a beautiful circular Trekking of more than 15 kilometers until I reached the CARPINETE CASTLE 🏰. It is a trek full of Oratories, natural caves and ANCIENT LEGENDS 📓. Once you have parked the car in Valestra in Piazza del Pane🥖where there is a convenient parking lot, follow the asphalt road passing next to the CHURCH of SAN PIETRO APOSTOLO ⛪. Follow the hairpin bend and on the left there is a sign with a white and red signpost for MONTE VALESTRA 🗻: path 618. After less than an hour you arrive at the cross of MONTE VALESTRA ✝️ located at 935 meters. With a short descent you arrive at the ORATORY of SANTA MARIA MADDALENA (open). The Oratory stands on a natural cave. ⛪In front of the oratory there is a protruding boulder while turning behind the Oratory you arrive at a NATURAL CAVE called the Devil's Hole😈. Many legends of these areas are connected to it but there are two in particular that are best known. LEGEND OF THE BRIGAND BALISTA: In Roman times these caves were very attractive to brigands who hid in these woods to avoid being found. It seems that a Brigand named Balista hid an important treasure right in the Devil's Hole 💰 LEGEND OF THE MANODORI 🤲: Many years later it is said that a woodcutter who was resting near the Devil's Cave😈 noticed a golden hand stuck in the ground, took it home and with his brothers sold it to a rich 🫰passing merchant who gave them gold coins in exchange 💸greatly increasing the power and prestige of their family. Some say that from that day the Manodori lineage began. Among the Manodori we must certainly remember Pietro Manodori founder of the Cassa di Risparmio di Reggio Emilia💴💶💷💰💲. From the Oratory of Maria Maddalena, always follow path 618 to ORATORY OF SAN MICHELE ARCANGELO 🪽😇 where a little further on, slightly detaching from the path on the left, there are THREE more NATURAL CAVES. These are the Malavolti Caves, the Stalactite Caves and San Michele Caves. They have no signs and CANNOT be visited unless in the presence of EXPERT SPELEOLOGISTS!!🔦🔦🪢 Always continuing on 618, point towards PIEVE SAN VITALE currently transformed into a hostel restaurant. You pass Mount San Vitale at 863 meters and you begin to glimpse the CARPINETE CASTLE. This manor 🏰 which stands on a rocky spur on Mount Antoniano was chosen by MATILDE DI CANOSSA as a summer residence 🌞. Matilde di Canossa, Countess, Duchess and Marchioness lived between 1046 and 1115 and was an important feudatory and a great supporter of the papacy in the struggle for investiture. In the Castle of Carpineti she hosted in 1092 a significant assembly of bishops, monks and prelates both to resolve the war against the heretics and to have protection against the incursions of Henry IV King of Germany👑. To return to Valestra my itinerary passes through Fola, Marossa and Montelago. It is a trek of about 15-16 km with a difference in altitude of about 750 m. I LEAVE THE LINK TO MY KOMOOT TRACK BELOW: ➡️ TRACK: https://www.komoot.com/it-IT/tour/196... You can follow me on: ➡️INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lalla.outdo... ➡️YOUTUBE:// / @lalla.outdoor Contact MAIL: [email protected] ➡️Front Light: VARTA http://www.varta-ag.com/it ➡️Application used on the mobile phone for Trekking: OUTDOOR ACTIVE ➡️Watch to track the route: GARMIN FENIX 7 CHAPTERS: 00:00 Valestra and path 618 02:28 Oratorio Santa Maria Maddalena 03:52 Buca del Diavolo 04:50 Legends: Brigante Balista and MANODORI 06:31 Oratory of San Michele Arcangelo and caves 09:35 Towards the Carpineti Castle 11:07 Pieve San Vitale 12:58 Matilde di Canossa 14:43 History of Gregory VII and Henry IV 17:25 Carpinete Castle 19:31 Return to Valestra passing through Montelago 21:06 Trekking Evaluation #appenninoreggiano #appennino #trekking