Pievepelago: Cross-Country Skiing, Hiking Trails and Culture in the Apennines
Accommodation in Pievepelago
Cross-Country Skiing in Sant’Anna Pelago
Pievepelago and its municipality offer numerous hiking trails and cultural attractions. In Sant’Anna Pelago, within the municipality of Pievepelago, 8 kilometres of illuminated cross-country ski trails run near the settlement. This fixed distance provides a concrete framework for planning a day of cross-country skiing.
File:Lago Santo Modenese - Pievepelago, Modena, Italy - June 3, 2017 - 02.jpg
Photo: Giorgio Galeotti via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
The Forests and Landscape of Frignano
Pievepelago lies in the heart of the Frignano Regional Park. Numerous hiking trails lead through forests of chestnut, beech and coniferous trees.
Lago Santo is a glacial lake below Monte Giovo at an elevation of 1,501 metres and the largest lake in the Apennines. Its location on Monte Giovo provides the geographical reference for the mule track that begins on the shores of the lake.
Hiking Trails with Different Starting Points
From the shores of Lago Santo, the easy mule track marked 523 leads around Monte Giovo and into the glacial valley of Lago Baccio.
The “Attraversando gli antichi ponti” hiking trail starts and ends in Pievepelago and is 9.3 kilometres long. One trail therefore starts on the shores of Lago Santo, while the other has Pievepelago as its starting and ending point.
Stone Bridge and Cultural Features
The Ponte della Fola is a stone bridge of Romanesque origin, probably built in the late Middle Ages. It has two arches and is the only known example of this type of bridge in Emilia. In the case of the Ponte della Fola, “of Romanesque origin” and “probably built in the late Middle Ages” are two different classifications: one refers to its art-historical origin, while the other is a cautious dating of its construction.
Infiorata in the Centre of Pievepelago
On Sunday, 7 June 2026, the traditional Infiorata del Corpus Domini will take place in Pievepelago once again. The floral carpets cover 200 metres of Via TamburĂą in the centre of Pievepelago. Individual artistic works can be up to 20 metres long.
A Museum in Roccapelago
The Museo delle Mummie in Roccapelago is arranged across three rooms that begin at the crypt.
Fishing and Orienteering
No-kill fishing is practised in the waters of the Scoltenna. Pievepelago also has orienteering sites with federation maps. A glacial lake was formed by earlier glaciation; a glacial valley refers to a valley with corresponding glacial characteristics. In no-kill fishing, caught fish are returned to the water. Orienteering uses maps to determine one’s position and route in the terrain; federation maps support this navigation.
Getting There and Finding Your Way Locally
Bus route 800 connects Modena with Pievepelago along the Modena–Maranello–Pavullo–Pievepelago–Abetone route. Maranello and Pavullo lie along this route between Modena, Pievepelago and Abetone.
The information point for Lago Santo is located on the road from Pievepelago to the Lago Santo car park and offers general information about the area, brochures and special maps.
Other places in the overview include Faidello, Fiumalbo, Riolunato, Sestola, Fanano and Querciagrossa.
For the overarching travel overview: Modena.
