Discover Vallico Di Sopra

Vallico di Sopra combines a small mountain settlement with impressive traces of nature, local history and rural culture. The village lies at 652 metres above sea level on a green hill and faces the Turrite-Cava river landscape. The houses are fully oriented towards the sun. Anyone looking for a place with specific hiking and cultural themes for a stay will find not a generic backdrop here, but a village with its own distinctive historical character.

Between the mountain road and the hiking trail

Vallico di Sopra can be reached by car. On the approach via the mountain road, views open up over the Turrite Cava valley. The road therefore leads not only to a destination but also already reveals the landscape in which the village is nestled. For active exploration, there is the Sentiero del Lupo. The marked circular trail is equipped with information boards about the life of the wolf and CAI trail markers. It runs along the paths of Vallico di Sotto and Vallico di Sopra and also leads through the mountain pastures of Monte Palodina. The route thus connects the two villages with a landscape in which information and the experience of walking belong together.

A village with a long history

Vallico di Sopra is one of the oldest villages in the Garfagnana. The area was already inhabited by the Ligurian-Apuans in the 5th century BC and was colonised by the Romans around the 2nd to 1st century BC. Features of a medieval village have been preserved in the townscape. The historic houses include buildings with sandstone portals and window sills – details that make the architectural history immediately visible. Individual religious buildings further deepen this impression. The parish church of San Michele Arcangelo lies outside Vallico di Sopra and has a Romanesque structure that may date from the 12th century. The Oratorio di San Rocco, dating from the 17th century, is also located in the village centre. A tour can therefore combine different historical layers: the medieval character of the village structure, the older Romanesque church complex and the later oratory.

Caves and traces of ancient worship

At the foot of Monte Penna near Vallico di Sopra lies the Grotta di Castelvenere. Archaeological finds indicate that the cave was a place of fertility worship. The Buca di Castelvenere represents a different way of experiencing the landscape: it is a natural cave with a large, impressive natural entrance that can be reached via a footpath. Both sites extend the visit beyond the village, but they have different focuses – archaeological tradition in one case and a striking natural impression in the other.

Summer cuisine and local character

The summer events in Vallico di Sopra include the gastronomic, musical and cultural event “Necci, Migliecci e Pitonca”. One of its main features is necci, a Tuscan speciality made from chestnut flour. This gives the local history a culinary complement: alongside paths, churches and caves, a regional speciality is also part of the picture of this village.

To the overarching travel overview: Fabbriche Di Vallico.