The best cycling routes around Fontanellato

The patronage of this sanctuary, consecrated to the Madonna, refers to the place LORETO. This is one of the great and significant Marian pilgrimage sites in Europe, along with LOURDES in the French Pyrenees and FATIMA in Portugal. In contrast to the other two mentioned places, Loreto is not known for apparitions of the Mother of God. Here, pilgrims can be shown something very tangible: Mary's childhood home in Nazareth (Israel). Her parents – who are not named in the biblical scriptures of the New Testament – are mentioned in apocryphal traditions: Saint ANNA and Saint JOACHIM are thus the grandparents of Jesus Christ (their common feast day in the liturgical calendar is July 26th). Probably, Crusaders, as the era of the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land came to an end towards the end of the 13th century, dismantled the building revered in Nazareth and transported it to Europe. However, this very sober assumption is contrasted by a much more interesting legend: According to it, four angels carried out the translation and flew the house across the Mediterranean.

Following the road of the Food Valley it is absolutely obligatory to pass through Roncole Verdi and consequently visit the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi.

This church, which is dedicated to the Holy Cross (Latin "Santa Croce"), takes its patronage from the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The veneration of the Holy Cross goes back in large part to Saint Helena, who was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (who recognized Christianity as a religion after his victory at the "Milvian Bridge" in front of Rome and ended the long period of persecution with the "Edict of Toleration" of Milan in 312). In the early fourth century, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel / Palestine) and brought numerous relics back to Europe, including the "True Cross" on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Helena is therefore often depicted with a cross as an attribute. The church celebrates the feast of the discovery, public presentation and veneration of the Holy Cross - called the "Exaltation of the Cross" - on September 14th.

A really worth seeing place.

Beautiful castle in the center of Roccabianca

Planning the tour of the Castles of the Duchy of Parme and Piacenza we reached the "Fortress of Fontanellato". Rocca Sanvitale is an imposing fortress built in the 14th century on a pre-existing 12th century building. Subjected to numerous restorations, over the centuries it was transformed from a defensive fortress into the residence of the noble Sanvitale Counts who then inhabited it for around six centuries. It has a square plan with crenellated walls and four corner towers and is still surrounded by a large moat once fed by water produced by a spring and rearranged at the beginning of the 17th century by the Parma architect Smeraldo Smeraldi; the entrance to the internal courtyard is via a drawbridge. In 1948 the last Count handed over the Fortress with its furnishings to the Municipality, which subsequently transformed it into a museum.

In this place it is possible to observe Giuseppe Verdi's birthplace. The house is part of Roncole Verdi, a hamlet in the municipality of Busseto.

stupendous historical heritage work of our country.