Sestola

Renowned as the ‘The Pearl of the Apennines’, Sestola is the most important winter holiday destination in the region thanks to its proximity to Mount Cimone, the main ski resort in Emilia Romagna and one of the largest in the Apennines. During the winter season, Sestola and Mount Cimone prove to be a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts: skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snow-kiting, and snowshoeing. But mountain sports mean more than just snow and skiing.

Once the winter season is over, the resort turns into a true haven for summer sports, with a wide range of different disciplines on offer. Trekking, orienteering, digiscoping, climbing, river climbing, quadbiking, horse riding, canoeing, golf, hang-gliding, paragliding and mountain-biking are all available for lovers of outdoor and adventure sports.

Modern facilities for football, volleyball, basketball, tennis and swimming welcome fans of more traditional sports.

Sestola is also the ideal destination to enjoy cultural events, traditions and simply to relax in the green Apennine mountains. In addition to noteworthy places of interest including churches, oratories, hamlets and country houses, the most interesting complex to visit is without doubt the Fortress or Castle, home to several important museums, including one housing a rare collection of mechanical musical instruments, and another dedicated to Ancient Mountain Civilisation.

NOT TO BE MISSED

No visit to Sestola is complete without tasting the traditional ‘crescentina’ or flatbreads, a speciality known to many as ‘Tigella’, from the name of the tool originally used to cook them, topped with lard and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese produced by local dairies.

AT TABLE

From ‘crescentine’ (traditional flatbreads) to ‘borlenghi’ (local pancakes), from ‘croccante’ (almond crunch) to ‘ciacci’ (small pancakes made with chestnut flour), including typical products such as mushrooms, chestnuts and cheeses: the Modena Apennines offer a culinary repertoire just waiting to be discovered. Mountain culinary traditions bring together a unique blend of timeless recipes; all these products can be purchased at local shops or directly from the producers.

ENTERTAINMENT

There are several nightclubs and pubs with live music and DJ sets in and around the centre of Sestola. On Saturday evenings and during the holiday period they offer a great atmosphere, with a warm welcome, good food and good music.

KEEPING FIT

In addition to a wide range of sports facilities, visitors can pamper both body and soul in the various wellness centres to be found in the area, fully equipped with facilities such as saunas, whirlpools and Turkish baths, and offering various treatments including relaxation massages and aromatherapy.

IMPORTANT EVENTS

Important annual events in the town are the Chocolate Festival, held on the second weekend in October and dedicated entirely to chocolate and “croccante” (almond crunch, a local speciality), with exhibitors coming from all over Italy; the Festival of Local Gastronomy, held on the third weekend in October, where you can taste typical local specialities and experience local costumes and traditions.

SURROUNDING AREA

The Esperia Botanical Gardens are well worth a visit, with their collection of spontaneous Apennine and Alpine flora. The gardens, located within Frignano Regional Park, near Passo del Lupo (11 km from Sestola and 1,500 m above sea level), are of national importance from an ecological/didactic point of view, being home to over two hundred species of indigenous flora, as well as dozens of plants and flowers that usually grow in more distant mountain ranges. A visit to the gardens allows you to learn about the natural history of the mountains, and provides an interesting insight into the plants and flowers of the Alps and Apennines, as well as more exotic species from the Himalayas, Tibet and the Arctic, all within a picturesque natural setting.