From Sillaro Valley to Brisighella, in Lamone Valley, the hills of Romagna are crossed by a spectacular and well-visible gray-silvery ridge suddenly interrupting the gentle silhouette of the hills, giving a unique aspect to the landscape.
The outcrop, the longest and most imposing gypsum ridge in Italy, develops for 25 km and has an average width of one kilometer and a half. The area is characterized by particular karst morphologies including dolines, steephead valleys, and several caves, among which many “abysses” stand out.
The name “Vena” (vein) assigned by the surveyors of the Istituto Geografico Militare is related to the mineral exploitation of the rocky mass from which gypsum has always been extracted. In many areas the signs of past extractions are visible, but even more impressing is the huge tear in Mount Tondo where a quarry is still active and modern technologies rapidly extend the front and tunnels of the quarry to the detriment of the landscape, caves and delicate gypsum environments.
