Stage 10a
West Emilia Itinerary: Concordia-Carpi
Concordia is the first municipality we encounter in Emilia Romagna, specifically in the Province of Modena, which we will travel entirely in a North-South direction, crossing very different landscapes: from the plain, to the hills, to the challenging mountains of the Apennines.
To better appreciate this land we propose two possible itineraries to hikers and cyclists: a more eastern one that from the Secchia River passes to the Naviglio River, on whose banks it reaches Modena and from there to Maranello, via another river, the Tiepido River, and to the Apennines. The other route named “West Emilia Itinerary” branches off from the Secchia River in Rovereto, just south of Concordia, returns further upstream, after Campogalliano, touches some important towns both in history and today, to climb the first hills and rejoin the other itinerary in Pavullo.
From Concordia you walk on the bank of the Secchia River, between rows of poplars and bell towers in the distance. The area was the scene of a strong earthquake a few years ago, the signs of which are still clearly visible in the towns you come across. Leaving the Secchia River at Concordia we head west-southwest, along mostly dirt roads with very little traffic, arriving at the Fossoli camp, sadly famous because in the 1940s it was a place of collection and then sorting to Nazi concentration camps for Jews and political opponents of the fascist regime. Continuing south we quickly arrive at Carpi, characterized by the beautiful Piazza Duomo (one of the largest in Italy) and historic buildings: in one of these, the “Palazzo dei Pio”, there are the “Museum of the Palace”, the “Museo of the City” and the “Museo of the Deportato” where the memory of the infamous tragedies that we must not forget is preserved.
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Distance : 24,2 Km
Time : 6 hours
Terrain: unpaved or asphalted country roads; cycle paths
Height difference + : 218 m
Height difference – : 218 m
Altitude max : 30 m
Altitude min : 16 m