Three hills and a white spur: reserve a gypsum ridge day at Brisighella

Order of the day on the ridge

You start at 09:00 in the village below and climb the lane to the spur, which takes about forty minutes at a talking pace. The first stop is a quarry face where the gypsum is cut open and the crystals are the size of a hand. From there the walk follows the crest between the three hills, stopping at each: a fortress on one, a bare stone tower on another, a sanctuary on the third. Mid morning goes on cave mouths, of which there are dozens along this seam, and on how water eats a soft rock from the inside. Two of the entrances can be looked into from the surface without any equipment. The descent takes a mule path back through olive terraces and finishes at 16:00 in the village.

Ground underfoot, and the climb

Seven hours with about 350 metres of climbing spread over the day, most of it in the first hour. The path is dry limestone and gypsum grit, loose in places, with two short sections where hands come out of pockets to steady you. No rope is used and nobody goes underground. In summer the white rock throws heat back at you and there is very little shade on the crest, so water matters more than it looks like it should. In wet weather the same rock turns greasy and the party moves slower. Anyone comfortable on a steep hill walk for a full day will be fine. Anyone who is not should look at the portico morning instead, which is flat.

Why eight names must be on it

This day carries run mark three, which on this site means eight people. Below that the company will not put a geologist and a caver on a hillside for the morning, and we will not pretend otherwise by holding your date and hoping. In practice that means naming the day early and being told plainly, usually about ten days ahead, whether it stands. From $166 per person, the figure holds both guides and the walk. It does not hold lunch, the beds, the drive to the village, or any lit cave you decide to enter another day. You pay the company that runs it, in its own name, and this office is paid a commission by them afterwards.

Awkward things people ask about this day

Do we go inside the caves?

No. This is a surface day. The seam is riddled with holes and two entrances can be looked into from above, but going down needs kit, a permit and a guide qualified for it, none of which this day covers. If underground is what you want, say so and the company will tell you who runs it locally. We will not book it as part of a walking day.

What happens if we cannot get to eight?

Then the day does not run and you are told, rather than left guessing. We take your date, we ask the company to hold it, and about ten days out you get a yes or a no in writing. Nothing has been paid to anyone by then. Most groups who miss eight move to the portico morning instead, which runs whatever the numbers.

Is there anything to see if the weather closes in?

Yes, and this is one of the few days where poor weather changes little. The rock face, the crystals and the cave mouths are there in any conditions. What you lose is the long view across the valley and the colour of the white spur against the sky, which needs sun to look like anything. Nobody controls that, so nobody here will tell you what you will get.