Gateway of Bismantova
The mountain of Purgatory and the Apennine
Placed like a balcony on Piazzale Dante, the gateway offers a wonderful 360° view: the cliff faces the whole Apennine range of Reggio Emilia, Modena and Parma. The gateway marks a unique historical and landscape spot. As ancient as Miocene (limestones are twenty million years old), inhabited since prehistoric times (an archaeological site can be visited), castrum bizantino then limes longobardo, location of a medieval castle and of a rural church, of which only few remnants are left, crossroads of important trails over many centuries, Pietra di Bismantova is today a climbing site, a spiritual place (because of its hermitage), a tourism and sport destination (thanks to numerous hiking and cycling loops and trails), in the middle of a vast territory renowned for its landscape and agriculture as well as for its significance in high literature.
