Monte Pelpi is a mountain 1,495 metres (4,905 ft) high located in the Tuscan-Emilian

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

in northern Italy. The mountain overlooks the towns of

Bedonia Bedonia (Parmigiano: ; lij, Bedònja; locally ) is a ''comune'' within the Province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. History The communal territory was already settled during the Neolithic age, and later was a Roman colony, under t ...

to the south and Bardi to the north, and rises like a cone between the

Taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

, Toncina and

Ceno The Ceno is a tributary of the river Taro, flowing entirely within the Province of Parma, northern Italy. It joins the Taro on its left bank at Fornovo. Like the Taro, the Ceno has its source on Monte Penna, in the Ligurian Apennine The A ...

valleys. The vegetation is very diverse with forests consisting of

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam' ...

and black aspen and includes rare species of

arnica ''Arnica'' is a genus of perennial plant, perennial, herbaceous plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The genus name ''Arnica'' may be derived from the Greek language, Greek ''wikt:arni, arni'', "lamb", in reference to the plants' soft, h ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

daffodils ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plant, perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as ''Ste ...

gentian ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

daphne Daphne (; ; el, Δάφνη, , ), a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in whi ...

and

anemone ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand an ...

s. The forest gives way to a stretch of

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

at the summit on which stands a large steel cross. It is said that the mountain protects the towns of

and

Compiano Compiano (Parmigiano dialect, Parmigiano: ) is a medieval walled town in the Taro River, Taro Valley (Province of Parma, Parmesan Apennines), a 50 minute-drive to the Ligurian Sea and to Parma. The top of Compiano's hill is home to the medieval C ...

from the cold northern winds during winter. The view from this peak exceeds that of the taller

Monte Penna Monte Penna is a mountain (1,735 m) on the border between Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, part of the Ligurian Apennines. It is included in the Natural Regional Park of the Aveto, and overlooks the Val di Taro; the sources of bot ...

nearby and it offers an extraordinary panorama of both valleys and the other peaks of the Liguran-Emilian

, ranging from

, Monte Tomarlo,

Monte Maggiorasca Monte Maggiorasca is a mountain on the border between Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Geography The mountain is the highest peak (1,799 m) of the Ligurian Apennines. It overlookVal d'Aveto and Val Nure, and the ''comuni'' ...

, Monte Ragola. On clear days it is possible to observe the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. Sambuceto and Strela are two small villages that are located along one of the roads that wind across the mountain. The area is notorious for massacres committed by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in retaliation for the intense

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

activity. Around Monte Pelpi are the villages of: Ca' Scapini, Farfanaro, Caprile, Costa Agucchia, Pian dell'Asse, Costa di Cereseto, Trario, Pareto di Credarola, Credarola, Granelli, Lago Lobbia, Pilati, Monti, Castagna, Ceio, Libbia, Masanti di Sotto, Masanti di Sopra, Cavignaga, Capella Carpana, Sambuceto, Belli (Hydro Electric Power station.) Pelpi is known for its crystal clear spring water which has an

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

sulfurous Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical elements, abundant, Polyvalency (chemistry), multivalent and nonmetallic. Under standard c ...

quality and is renowned for its healing properties. There are many streams that run through the slopes of the mountain, and the mineral water which flows from the north-western slope is bottled in plants at Masanti. The beneficial qualities of these waters were quoted by the early 19th century travel writer Captain Antonio Boccia as "commended for curing many ills of those who bathe in its waters." The

Milanese Milanese (endonym in traditional orthography , ') is the central variety of the Western dialect of the Lombard language spoken in Milan, the rest of its metropolitan city, and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Milanese, due to t ...

poet Francesco Piccinelli also wrote in his description of the

and

Valleys (1617) "drinking the water, heals all conditions of the throat." During 2009 there was a dispute between a committee of locals and the mineral water compan
Lynx/Norda
who were concerned that the company would drain the

aquifers An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...

within the mountain causing the supply to run dry for the personal consumption of the Masanti residents. Every year in mid-August there is an organised hike up Monte Pelpi, as part of the "festa di San Gioacchino" (festival dedicated to Saint Joachim,) held in the nearby rural village of Cavignaga.

The cross

There is a large steel cross standing high, built on 16 October 1955 at the summit. This steel cross replaces a wooden cross in the same location which was built earlier in the 20th century. The cross was the initiative of Bishop Renato Costa, and the former alumni of the seminary of

. Costa instigated the search to find appropriate funding and resources for the project. In 1953, his unerring 'instinct' led him to the famous Falck steelworks at

Sesto San Giovanni Sesto San Giovanni (; lmo, Sest San Giovann, label=Western Lombard ), locally referred to as just Sesto ( lmo, Sest, links=no), is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy. Its railway station is the northernmost s ...

(

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

.) The lattice structure was donated by the Falck family in memory of the company's founder

Enrico Falck Enrico Falck was an Italian entrepreneur, member of the board of directors of the Falck Industries. He joined the Italian Christian Democracy, and was an Italian Senator from Lombardy. Political career In 1934 Falck was named by king Vittori ...

, who died some time before. Today it is still one of the tallest crosses placed on any mountain, 22 meters tall and in weight. In celebration of its fiftieth anniversary, a plaque has been replaced which was an identical copy of the lost original 1955 plaque, that commemorated the construction and benefactors. The inscription, translated from the original Italian, reads:

External links

https://web.archive.org/web/20100328010954/http://www.agriturismivaltaro.com/pagina_dettagli.php?idpagina=72
* (Italian
Appennino, la guerra dell'acqua A secco "Il paese delle fonti"
Parma la Repubblica.it
https://web.archive.org/web/20110717005612/http://www.valtaro.it/bedonia_montepelpi/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelpi Mountains of Emilia-Romagna Mountains of Liguria Mountains of the Apennines One-thousanders of Italy