Circular itinerary from Sestola to Oratory of San Biagio

An itinerary of about 10 km in total, starting from the centre of Sestola and finishing at the beautiful Oratory of San Biagio (Saint Blaise) near Roncoscaglia.

The itinerary proposed here is simple but requires a little training given the 10 km that must be covered. For this reason, it is advisable to walk it in spring or autumn, avoiding summer days with high temperatures.

The itinerary

The itinerary starts from the centre of Sestola, from the portico in front of the post office, near the village bell tower.
From here, following the CAI (Italian Alpine Club) and public footpath signs, you go through the “Albaghiccia” area of Sestola, taking public trail no. 5, indicated by the blue and white footpath signs.

Leaving the cemetery on the left and crossing over the road, head down towards Sestola Stables. Leaving the stables behind on the left, take the old road to “Ponte Baconi” on the right (just after the roadside shrine that you can see); the road is now just a cart track which leads downhill, crossing over the tarmacked main road from Roncoscaglia to Poggioraso, near the hamlet of “La Fontana del Sasso” (The Stone Fountain).
The itinerary continues along a small, concrete-surfaced road (Via Utte) to the edge of “Le Utte” and then, continuing downhill, along a cart track to the hamlet of La Tapina.
Crossing the road and continuing downhill, follow the blue and white signs towards Cà Guerri, leaving this behind you to your right. Go down to the main road SP30 which goes from Sestola to Pavullo, and follow it downhill, towards the left, as far as Ponte Bacconi (Bacconi Bridge).
After crossing the bridge over the Vesale brook, turn left after 50 metres onto Via Casa Ferrara, a steep tarmacked road that, after about 15 minutes’ walk, will lead you to the splendid Oratory of San Biagio (Saint Blaise) standing alone surrounded by countryside, just off the tarmacked main road between Roncoscaglia and Castellaro.
It is well worth stopping at the oratory to admire the beauty of this small architectural jewel and to recharge your batteries.
The panorama from San Biagio will certainly restore your energy for the return journey.
To get back to Sestola from here, we suggest taking public footpath no. 4 from Roncoscaglia, making a full circle. To do so, you need to follow the tarmacked road to the village of Roncoscaglia, and from there choose one of the two branches of footpath no. 4.
The branch proposed on the map and in the GPX track is the stretch that passes through the woods.
Following this stretch, you can admire the Church of St John the Baptist.
After enjoying the view and taking a little rest, you simply have to take the same route back to the village of Sestola.