The Long Journey of Gypsum, Between Myth and Reality
Riolo Terme – May 3, 2026
9:15 AM - 3:00 PM
Crivellari - Monte Mauro (Riolo Terme, RA)
An hiking experience focused on the long and fascinating journey of gypsum, a material that has shaped unique methods and languages in the history of art, winemaking, archaeology, cosmetics, and much more.
Quarries, abandoned villages, and sinkholes will be the co-protagonists of this journey through the Park, where the whisper of those who once laboriously extracted the “glass stone” is still perceptible.
Meeting point: parking area in Largo Villa Fratelli, Borgo Rivola
Guide: GAE Samuela Pandolfini - Treknauti
Cost: €15.00 adults, €5.00 children 6–12 years
Difficulty: medium hiking level, sure-footedness and absence of vertigo required
Length: 12 km
Elevation gain: +/- 570 m
Notes: packed lunch required
Info and booking (also via WhatsApp):
tel. 335 6223828
samuelapandolfini@yahoo.it
On Foot in the “Moonstone” Park 2026
A rich calendar of excursions with the guides of the Vena del Gesso Romagnola Regional Park.
Just a few kilometers from the busy Romagna plain, at the gates of Imola and Faenza, lies the Vena del Gesso Romagnola Regional Park: an unexpected world of “moonstone” mountains, where gypsum crystals create a unique landscape and nature, history, and human activity offer immersive experiences.
The program promotes activities led by a group of professionals selected by the Management Authority for Parks and Biodiversity - Romagna, who make their expertise available to anyone wishing to safely experience unique natural environments.
Accompanied by the park’s official guides, you can discover and fall in love with this place, a precious treasure of rich and diverse nature, set within a historical-cultural landscape of great value, which in September 2023 was recognized as a World Heritage Site within the serial property "Karst and Caves in the Evaporites of the Northern Apennines - EKCNA".
The new calendar includes 23 events from April to early August, offering excursions of different themes and difficulty levels. Some also include tastings or optional lunches featuring local traditional products.
The project is designed by the Authority and, thanks to financial support, allows excursions to be offered at standardized and reduced prices, making the park accessible to everyone.
General information
- Adult excursion cost: €15.00 full day / €10.00 half day
- Children 6–12 years: €5.00 (all activity types)
- Excursions run with a minimum of 6 participants and a maximum of 20
- Hiking shoes with treaded soles are required; appropriate technical clothing and equipment are recommended
- Trekking poles recommended
- Registration required by the day before the excursion
For information: info@parchiromagna.eu
