The Bucamante waterfalls, hidden in the woods on a hillside near Serramazzoni, can be reached from Granarolo by walking up through the woods alongside the stream, or from the nearby village of Monfestino.
The five natural waterfalls of the Bucamante mountain stream, together with the rare specimens of local flora surrounding them, make this charming place one of the most beautiful natural havens in the area, and one of the most spectacular nature itineraries in the hills around Modena.
Why they are called the ‘Bucamante’ Falls
The name ‘Bucamante’ comes from the legend of two lovers: the aristocratic Odina and the young shepherd Titiro. They were unable to live their relationship freely, as they had been forbidden by Odina’s family to do so, and so they threw themselves into the waters, giving origin to the name ‘Buca degli amanti’ (Lovers’ Hole), which then became ‘Bucamante”.
The Bucamante Falls owe their name to the tragic love story between the shepherd Titiro and the young noblewoman Odina, who was beautiful, blonde-haired and just 17 years old.
The damsel used to take long walks in the woods in the company of her maid. During one of these outings she met the young shepherd Titiro, who was also angelically handsome.
The two fell instantly in love and, after that first day, began to meet in secret. One day, however, Odina’s maid discovered them and, perhaps overcome with envy, ran to tell Odina’s parents everything, who then locked her up in the castle.
One morning, Odina managed to escape from the castle and ran all the way to reach Titiro.
In the meantime, the search for the maiden had begun, and the family’s servants came looking for them. When the two lovers heard voices getting nearer and nearer through the woods, they realised that there was no escape for their love. They decided to throw themselves into the waterfall, locked in a tender embrace which would unite them for eternity. As they fell, the weight of their bodies clinging together caused the ground beneath the waterfall to give way. Ever since, in homage to this tragic event, the waterfalls have been named “Bucamante” (Lovers’ Hole).
How to reach the Bucamante Waterfalls
To admire the waterfalls, you can take the trail that runs alongside the stream, trail no. 1, known as ‘Odina’, a round-trip of about 2.2 km.
You can take the trail from Granarolo car park, getting here from the main road ‘SS12’, and following the signs for Pazzano and the Bucamante waterfalls.
Alternatively, you can set out from Cornazzano.
Or, if you would like to take a longer route which also includes a visit to the Bucamante waterfalls, we recommend our itinerary starting out from Serramazzoni, about 13 km long.
Our thanks go to Gabriele Benassati for allowing us to share the photos that you can see here.
