The plan was to go to Parma. My sister and niece are here from England for a few days, and as part of our itinerary we had hoped to spend Tuesday at San Terenzo on the Liguria coast … but the weather had other ideas. Martedì: Temporali (Tuesday: Thunderstorms). Luckily, as we live right on the border between two very different geographical and climatic regions which are divided by the long dorsal spine of the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano mountains, we often have what you might call a ‘weather choice’. So I decided to check the meteo (weather forecast) for Parma which lies in the Pianura Padana (the huge agricultural plain) to the north of us, and tends to have a very different climate from the mountainous Lunigiana. The forecast looked promising, so off we set.

To reach Parma we have the choice of either taking the A15 autostrada north from Pontremoli or, slightly slower but far more scenic and relaxing, following the old strada statale that crosses over into Emilia Romagna at il passo della Cisa at an altitude of 1040 m (3,412 ft). “Let’s stop at Berceto on the way” we said, “it’s been a while since we last went there”. We set off, my niece Ellen, who is unused to curvy mountain roads without safety barriers or to being a passenger in left hand drive cars (‘’help, where’s the steering wheel!”), rigidly clutching the seat, and Serena, who also suffers from travel sickness, in the back with my sister Caroline.

Panorama near Berceto. Photo (CC) Francesco

Now, if you’re in no particular hurry, and you have nervous or queasy passengers who are much happier if you take it nice and easy, the old SS 62 (Strada Statale 62) is a really pretty and relaxing drive with very little traffic during the week. In fact you enjoy the landscape so much that before you know it you’ve already arrived at the charming little medieval town of Berceto. Here are a few excerpts from the official website:

Importante centro situato sulla destra della valle del torrente Manubiola. Lo sviluppo del paese è da collegarsi alla via di trasferimento che, attraverso l’Appennino, metteva in comunicazione la Pianura Padana con la Toscana e quindi con Roma. L’arteria assunse particolare importanza nei sec. XI – XIII, quando divenne uno dei principali itinerari per i pellegrini che si recavano a Roma.

An important centre situated on the right of the valley of the Manubiola torrent. The town’s development is connected to the route used to cross the Appennino from the Pianura Padana into Tuscany, and hence Rome. This route took on particular importance between the 11th and 13th centuries, when it became one of the main itineraries for pilgrims heading to Rome. (N.B. find out more about the historic route from Canterbury to Rome here: Via Francigena).

Via Francigena signs near Berceto. Photo (CC) by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

Il nucleo più antico del Borgo conserva un patrimonio edilizio di estremo interesse. Modeste dimore medioevali, pregevoli edifici rinascimentali, portali, finestre, elementi di arredo urbano: un repertorio degli stili architettonici della montagna parmense nel periodo dal XII al XVII sec.

The oldest nucleus of the borough preserves an extremely interesting architectural heritage. Modest medieval dwellings, precious renaissance buildings, doorways, windows, elements of urban furnishing: a repertoire of the architectural styles of the Parma mountains from the 12th to the 17th century.

Well decorated sign on the Cisa Pass. Photo (CC) by mstefano80

All’incrocio delle due arterie principali sorge il Duomo. La costruzione è databile al XII sec.

At the crossroads of the two main streets stands the cathedral. Its construction can be dated to the 12th century

Il Duomo di Berceto. Photo (CC) by Davide Papalini

Negli ultimi anni l’attività turistica tradizionale si è notevolmente sviluppata grazie al forte richiamo delle bellezze naturali e architettoniche, al fascino di una storia millenaria, alla salubrità del clima, alla comodità dei collegamenti stradali e alla bontà di una cucina tipica, che ha nel fungo porcino l’ingrediente d’elezione e per la quale Berceto vanta locali famosi.

Over the last few years traditional tourist activity has noticeably increased thanks to the strong lure of Berceto’s natural and architectural beauty, the attraction of centuries of history, the healthy climate, the ease of getting there by road, and the delicious local cuisine with its ingredient of choice, porcini mushrooms, which the Berceto area is famous for.

Well, I said at the beginning of this blog that the original plan was to visit Parma, but we liked Berceto so much, and found the fresh mountain air so relaxing that we decided to stay for a while. On our way home we visited another lovely little hamlet: Borgotaro … but I’ll save that for another blog.

Fancy taking a stroll around Berceto right now? Click HERE to visit the town using Street View on Google Maps.

P.S. the little bar to the right of the Duomo sells wonderful home made ice cream, highly recommended!