Festival of the Trails

A festival born to rediscover the Apennine trails

The Festival of the Trails is the flagship event of Castel d'Aiano, a small municipality in the Metropolitan City of Bologna overlooking the ridge of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, in Emilia-Romagna. Born in 2024, the festival has grown rapidly to become the event that opens the hiking season in the mid-mountain areas of Bologna. The formula is simple and successful: take the dense network of trails that crosses the municipal territory and its hamlets and make it accessible to everyone, from experienced hikers to families with children.

Health, environment, tourism, and sustainability

Behind the day of sport and walking is a precise project. The organizers have built the festival around four interconnected themes: health, understood as outdoor movement; the environment, to be known and respected by walking at a slow pace; tourism, as an opportunity to discover an area often off the beaten path; and the sustainable development of an Apennine municipality that makes nature its most precious resource. Over the years, the festival has also given great space to inclusion, with adapted routes and walks designed for those with mobility difficulties.

What to do during the festival

The program, spread over the entire weekend, offers activities for all levels and ages:

• Trekking and excursions on foot, among caves, panoramic peaks, and ancient trails like the Anello della Castellana;
• Mountain biking and e-biking, accompanied by volunteers from Ciclo CAI Bologna;
• Horseback trekking and riding experiences;
• Nordic walking and inclusive walks along accessible routes;
• Archery, workshops on herbs and naturopathy, artistic activities, and traditional games;
• Visits to places of remembrance, from the museums of the Gothic Line to the multimedia model that reconstructs its history.

Flavors of the territory

After the walks, there's always time for food: throughout the festival, a food stand with typical products from the Bolognese Apennines is available, managed in collaboration with the local Pro Loco associations. It's an opportunity to taste and buy local flavors and to support the volunteer associations that animate the Municipality of Castel d'Aiano and the Province of Bologna.