"After a mile away from Portico [...] there is a hole four feet wide where a flame of fire comes out, the earth being lit with a lit solferino and still burning the green wood placed there and extinguishing itself with throwing woolen cloths on. And nearby there are many gold, silver and metal medals. "Thus Friar Leandro Alberti, in the Descriptor of all Italy published in the sixteenth century, describes the "smallest volcano in the world" on the top of Monte Busca, a mountain in the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines located between the upper Val Montone and Val Tramazzo. "Vulcano" which volcano is not, on closer inspection, but which popular affection and the Romagna tradition have always described in this way. The "volcano" of Monte Busca is a source of methane gas that escapes from a hole in the earth. Just as described by Brother Alberti in the 1500s, the fire is lit by the locals ("with a lit solferino"), who also created a small cone of stones from which the flame springs. This is how the legend of the "smallest volcano in the world" was born, capable of attracting many lovers of the curiosities and oddities of our country. If you too want to discover the "volcano" of Mount Busca, follow our itinerary and, once back, you will continue to perpetrate the legend with your personal story.
Before reaching the "volcano", take a few hours to visit Forlì, the ancient Forum Livii that the Romans founded in the second century BC. C. at the intersection of the consular road with the road that led to Tuscany.
Curiosity
Forlì retains traces of the Romanesque and Renaissance periods, but is also famous for its rationalist architecture of the 1920s and 1930s. Do not miss the Romanesque basilica of San Mercuriale with the imposing original bell tower of the twelfth century; the Town Hall, dating back to the fourteenth century; the fifteenth century Palazzo del Podestà and Palazzo Albertini. Above all, the museum complex of San Domenico, home to the oldest section of the Pinacoteca and location of prestigious temporary exhibitions.
Orange flag of the Touring Club, Portico di Romagna is a delightful Apennine village of medieval origin.
Legend has it that Dante met Beatrice here because the Portinari palace really exists, the residence of that Folco Portinari who was the father of the poet's Muse.
The ascent to Monte Busca can be done by car, but we recommend a nice walk. You proceed on asphalted secondary roads and does not present any difficulties. Perfect in summer, but also in winter, when the mists create an evocative landscape.
The "top" of the mountain looks like a plateau in the center of which the mythical Volcano stands out which, if luck wills, will be lit, and will make you wonder about the "underground" origin of its flames.
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