The Dardagna waterfalls, together with the sanctuary of Madonna dell’Acero, are inside the Regional Park of Corno alle Scale, in an area bordering on Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, a perfect place for trekking near Bologna. After passing the villages of Lizzano in Belvedere and Vidiciatico, the road climbs in hairpin bends in the middle of the woods and passes an evocative stone building watched over by an ancient maple tree: the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Acero. Here we are! There is a very special legend linked to the sanctuary, and I want to briefly tell you about it.
Let’s go back in time, in a remote summer day. Two young shepherds, one of them deaf-mute, are suddenly caught in a blizzard, just as they are grazing with their animals.
The two children find shelter under a large maple tree and there, while the storm rages, they become witnesses of a miracle: the Madonna appears to them, giving hearing and speech to the deaf-mute shepherd boy.
It was the 5th of August and the maple tree was immediately consecrated as a place of worship to the Virgin. A small stone temple was quickly built to protect the tree that was the scene of the sacred apparition. An image of Mary was affixed to its trunk.
However, the parish priest of Rocca Corneta, wishing to celebrate the sacred event in the presence of the bishop, decided to transfer the effigy to the parish. He could not imagine that this new residence would not be appreciated by the Virgin herself! On the day set aside for the festivities, in fact, the sacred image disappeared from the church. She returned to her beloved maple tree, leaving the marks of her passage on all the tree trunks placed along the road.
Today, the sacred temple of the apparition no longer exists, and in its place you can observe, and visit, the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Acero. Destination of pilgrimage, under its main altar you can admire the remains of the ancient tree.
After visiting the Sanctuary, follow the indications for the CAI 331 path which starts behind the building and which, immersed in a shady and relaxing beech wood, goes up the course of the Dardagna torrent, accompanying you, stage after stage, under and over the spectacular jumps formed by the Dardagna (the path is also called "path of the seven waterfalls"). Reaching the first big jump is very easy: the path is wide, often downhill and suitable also for children and elderly people. After the first jump (15 meters high) the path (333 CAI) that goes up on the left of the waterfall starts to be steeper and is considered of medium difficulty. The steps and the fences make the walk accessible to everyone, but certainly for small children can be challenging and difficult.After the last big jump (30 meters high) you will reach a small waterfall: here the path splits. Almost everybody takes the path 337 on the left, coming out at the height of Lago del Cavone. Here you can eat in the restaurant overlooking the emerald-coloured artificial lake (Lago del Cavone) and then go down along the forest road or back along the path you just took until you reach the Sanctuary again.
