Mangiawalking delle Pievi e dei Conventi (Eating&Walking at the Parish Churches and Convents)

The Mangiawalking delle Pievi e dei Conventi (Eating&Walking at the Parish Churches and Convents) in Casola, Lunigiana on September 22 is a lovely way to say goodbye to summer. This is a circular walk of about 13 kilometers (8 miles) along ancient paths in forests, chestnut groves, olive groves and through small medieval villages. An opportunity to discover the natural and artistic beauty of Lunigiana and Garfagnana, with a view of the peaks of the Apuan Alps. 

During the walk, there will be tasty stops in the small villages along the way, where you can enjoy good locally-grown food, like Marocca di Casola (ancient chestnut flour bread, now a Slow Food Presidium), sgabei (ancient fried bread), spelt soup, herb pies and homemade tarts, all to be washed down with excellent local wine.

Departure is from Casola, a town with very ancient origins at the center of the attentions of the major Signories in the Middle Ages and also an area of important archaeological finds and the mysterious Stele Statues, now kept in the Museum set up in Pontremoli Castle. 

The route continues to Argigliano, Pieve San Lorenzo, Antognano and Pugliano. Ancient churches and oratories you will encounter along the way: in Casola, the ancient convent of the Poor Clares dating back to 1660 and the Oratory of the Carmine with its main altar and architrave dated around 1600; in Pieve San Lorenzo, the majestic Parish Church built in the center of the town around the year 1000 and formerly belonging to the bishops of Luni; in Argigliano, the 16th-century Church of Santa Maria Assunta; in Pugliano, the 13th-century church dedicated to the patron saint San Jacopo.

Information:

• participation: € 24, reduced-price € 10 for children aged 7-12 years, free for children up to 6 years of age
• booking required by September 18
• registration online or at: Bar La Torre (Casola), Bar Mirò (Gragnola), Bar Stazione (Pieve San Lorenzo)
• in case of bad weather, the initiative will be postponed to Sunday, September 29