Parco Regionale dei Sassi di Roccamalatina

The Sassi di Roccamalatina Park protects 2,300 hectares of land lying on the hills of the middle Apennines of Modena overlooking the Panaro river in the municipalities of Guiglia, Zocca and Marano sul Panaro. A territory made up of ancient chestnut groves, woods and cultivated fields, in whose center the sandstone pinnacles of the Sassi stand out. A wide biodiversity of habitat concentrated in a small space, from the chestnut woods of the mountain areas to the unkempt clayey hills, from the riparian forests of the river shores to the karst phenomena of the caves and sinkholes, up to the extrensive hilly cultivated areas.

We could not speak about the stable presence of man in the area of the Sassi di Roccamalatina before the Bronze Age and only during the Iron Age and with the Etruscan re-expansion between the sixth and fifth centuries BC. It became an important link between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Po Valley. The Roman world has left traces above all in toponyms of rustic lands. There is more knowledge about the High Middle Ages, when in the area, following the Langobardic invasion, a Byzantine defensive line was established. In addition to the remarkable Pieve di Trebbio, there are several villages and buildings of historical-architectural significance in the area, along with the ancient and numerous towers.