Mounts Dragnone and Castellaro, from Pieve di Zignago

Access

From Genoa, take the motorway and exit at Brugnato; drive up to Pieve di Zignago (11 km - 632 m), where you leave the car.

Introduction

Beautiful ride through the living green of spring on a weather day that was nothing short of fantastic. In truth, it wasn't a very long ride, on the contrary, but it was the setting, the peace and quiet of the place... We almost didn't want to leave...

Description

We set off along a small asphalted road, which then becomes a dirt track, passing beautiful little villas.

You can already see the first half: the Sanctuary of Madonna Dragnone. From a former gymnastics area, there is a fork (25') and you climb steeply into a beautiful forest (steep track). It feels like being in Trentino. Finally, you come out of the forest and see the summit.... You are at 1010 m in a wonderful position and open views in all directions...   The present structure of the sanctuary is the result of the 1856 restoration!   Unfortunately, the building, which is quite large, is closed and cannot be visited.  The ascent time is short: just over 1h from the start. It has always been considered a sacred mountain, due to its dark red rocks (ophiolites), which are resistant to erosion and unsuitable for cultivation.
An appropriate pause to admire the beautiful panorama, the green of the spring in the making, and the peace and tranquillity, with its silences, that the place conveys is a must. Just below is the peak of Mount Castellaro and the houses of the same name.     You descend along the Via Cruicis marked by the 14 stations. You re-enter the forest and come out at a small chapel (erected in 1906 and renovated in 1988) at 865 m (20'). You ascend on the opposite side and soon find a series of panels telling of the archaeological findings in the area. The Dragnone from here appears as a pyramid, while opposite stand out the Case Castellaro 906 m (906 m). Ancient structures can be seen and we continue up to the summit (945 m) with various information about the area (20'). Finds from various historical eras have been found: ceramics from the late Bronze Age, the remains of a Byzantine castle and then a fortification of the Lords of Vezzano.
Take your time to visit the area and read the various pieces of information; then retrace your steps (10') to the saddle with the little chapel.
Here today we take a lunch break (tot. 2h there and back)
When we set off again, we descend by cutting across the north-west slope of Mount Dragnone. What started out as an extra outing has turned into a very successful inspection and we will definitely do a social outing in the future with the only caveat being that we do the route backwards so that we can take our lunch break from the sanctuary. The route is not very long, but there is a lot to tell, so that's fine... Now, we tackle two short climbs, with a beautiful view of Mount Castellaro, which appears imposing here. We return to the morning crossroads and in view of the village, we notice an ominous sign... not better specified... so we return to the village (1h).
A short visit to the church of San Pietro Apostolo in Pieve di Zignago, with its square bell tower detached from the sacred building. The excursion is over early and so we get back on the motorway before the heavy traffic of every Sunday begins again. There are only two short delays before and after the Recco exit. We therefore leave the motorway fairly early, around 4.30 p.m. (about 1h drive both on the outward and return journeys). All in all: a day with fantastic weather disl  470 mt  Dif. T/E.  little more than 3h Tot. + all the (necessarily long) breaks to discover the various places we encounter.

Trip photos:
http://cralgalliera.altervista.org/MonteDragnone016.pdf
http://cralgalliera.altervista.org/altre2016.htm

NB: In the case of an excursion, always check with FIE, Cai, any park authority or other institutions, pro loco, etc., that there have been no changes that have increased the difficulties! No liability is accepted. This text is purely indicative and not exhaustive.

Info Hiking Section Cral Galliera:  http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/esc.htm
trips 2016 at link:  http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/gite016.pdf

General Information

Trail:
Signposts: Sentiero marked with a few CAI symbols
Type of route: partially circular
Recommended period: April, May, October
Exposure to the sun