Places to see
Parco regionale della Vena del Gesso
Formed 6 million years ago, the Vena del Gesso is a ridge 25 km long and, on average, 1.5 km wide, rich in woodland once used for timber.
The Parco Regionale della Vena del Gesso covers 2,000 hectares between Imola and Faenza, crossing the Santerno, Senio, Sintria and Lamone valleys as far as the edges of Riolo Terme and Brisighella. The Vena del Gesso, formed 6 million years ago, is a gypsum ridge 25 km long and, on average, 1.5 km wide, rich in woodland that has always been used by local people for timber. It is the only entirely gypsum geological formation in Europe; numerous caves open up across its territory, some of which can be visited.
Good to know
- The Centro Visite Rifugio Ca' Carnè, in Brisighella, covers 43 hectares. The centre (a typical rural farmhouse) is a reference point for park visitors, who can find useful information, a teaching room and a natural history museum housing local wildlife.
- Ca' Carnè has a bar, a restaurant and a number of bedrooms, with 30 beds in total.
- The Parco Regionale della Vena del Gesso also includes the Museo l'Uomo e il Gesso and the open-air Museo Geologico behind the Santuario del Monticino, as well as the famous Grotta Tanaccia.
Photo credits - Pietro Fabbri, information from IPTC Photo Metadata
More places in Brisighella
Grotta TanacciaIt is the best known of the caves that open up in the Vena del Gesso Romagnola, a system reaching 200 m below sea level and running for 2 km, although only 500...Read more
Terme di BrisighellaThe Terme di Brisighella offer curative and beauty treatments using mud and other thermal products. They are recommended for easing joint and rheumatic...Read more
Via degli AsiniThe symbol of the town, this is a raised street, fully covered and arcaded, once busy with the donkeys that carried gypsum quarried nearby.Read more