Brisighella

Three chalk spurs rise directly above the village, each carrying a structure: a fourteenth-century fortress, a clock tower and a sanctuary, so the skyline reads as three separate pinnacles. The Via degli Asini is an elevated covered street built into the defensive wall, with arches opening outward; it was used to move donkeys carrying gypsum from the quarries, and the stables opened directly onto it, which is why the floor is at first-floor level. The surrounding gypsum ridge is riddled with caves. Brisighella olive oil has protected status and there is a market for it in November.

What you actually see

• The three pinnacles - fortress, clock tower and sanctuary on chalk spurs.
• The Via degli Asini - a raised covered lane built for gypsum donkeys.
• The gypsum ridge - a chalk formation cut with caves and quarries.
• The olive oil - a protected local oil with an autumn market.

When to go

April to October; food festivals run through the autumn, including olive oil in November. The covered lane is atmospheric in any weather. Winter is quiet.

Honest expectations

The village is small and seen in two hours. The climbs to the three pinnacles are steep. The covered lane is short, about two hundred metres.

Nearby

Faenza lies north; the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines rise south.