At 1579 meters above the sea level, in the old municipalità of Ligonchio, now called Ventasso, the refuge Carpe Diem lies in the shadow of mount Cavalbianco.
The refuge looks after the Pradarena Pass since the 1950ies.
Since the 1950ies the Carpe Diem has affirmed its characteristic of a welcoming place, where people can meet and find a shelter.
Here there is the meeting between different stories and cultures: one from Garfagnana (Tuscany) that is biting and sometimes contentious and the other from Emilia that is more mild – mannered and obliging.
I am Arianna, and I am here since 2016 when I decided to take care of this family heritage and to start to manage the Carpe Diem (even if I think that at the beginning the refuge was managing me!)
Bar, restaurant and hotel today as 50 years ago still host local people and not only them, but mainly visitors from the city, who run away from the urban chaos and come here to loose themselves in the wonderful nature of this part of the Apennine that offers breath-taking panoramas every season of the year.
Thanks to the re-discovery in recent years of slow tourism, hiking lovers look at Pradarena Pass as a gateway for the most difficult excursions, a starting point for easier walks and a suitable arrival point for enjoying unforgettable days into the wild.
During winter, the landscape changes and the paths host visitors with snow-shoes, skiers (some recent clearing operations have allowed the enhancement of trails suitable for cross-country skiing), simple snow lovers, families with children, small groups of friends, etc…
Framing all this multi-colored and sometimes noisy comings and goings is always “the warrior” (as I call it), the Carpe Diem that opens its doors to everybody all year round.
In the early morning the scent of Roberto’s tarts wafts from the kitchen and beckons early morning hikers.
The bar provides service throughtout the day from breakfasts to snacks and then aperitifs.
A few quick snacks if the restaurant is closed are never denied.
The bar closes after dinner to let hotel guests sleep quietly.
Our restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and offers in its menu traditional dishes of the Emilian cuisine but also of the Tuscan one carefully prepared with local products and if possible at km 0.
In this field the farm “Le Comunaglie”, another business run by our family and located in the village of Cinquecerri, helps us a lot.
Since 2003 this farm has been raising chianina cows, an Italian cattle breed, using a BIO method and supplies the Carpe Diem mainly with meat, but also with potatoes, spelt (cereal and transformed in pasta), jams, mushrooms, chestnuts and vegetables.
From these raw materials we create our specialties.
Grilled meats, boiled meats, stews accompanied by the famous cornmeal mush from Garfagnana called “fermenton eight rows”, roasts and then again, tarts with “pergialon” jam, an ancient pear that ripens in September, turns yellow and falls to the ground where it can be harvested and transformed into delicious jams.
Our chianina ragù is served in the lasagna and as a sauce for the potato tortelli and the tortelli with spinach/herbs.
In addition to the traditional menu, the chef has added dishes with new flavours, related to the seasonality, such as “potatoes dumpling with sausage and chicory, tagliolini with yellow pumpkin and crispy bacon”.
At the Carpe Diem we organize theme events and dinner and afternoon with live music. Two of the most well-known are “La cena romana (The Roman Dinner)” and “Il pesce d’alta quota (The High Altitude Fish)”.
Last but not least, our hotel with 5 bedrooms, 3 of which standard rooms and 2 suites.
The standard rooms are spacious, with bathroom, located at the first floor and overlooking Mount Asinara.
The suites located on the second floor (attic), are equipped with a big bathroom, a bath tub and a small wooden balcony
The rooms are suitable for medium and long term stays, while for the “quick” overnight stays of the traveling hikers, at the ground floor there are 3 additional rooms, equipped as a refuge-type dormitories, that can host 16 people maximum.
Totally the hotel can accommodate 25 guests.
Going up high, up here on the ridge is almost like taking a big leap.
Up here the journey is at the discovery of new cultures, surrounded by nature, of ancient traditions, of ancient routes that come back to life through the eyes of modern hikers.
Here you can smell the sea scent and in the clear days you can see the Alps crushing the plains.
Despite the vastness of the surrounding spaces it looks easy to arrive everywhere in a second, to be part of a vast common cultural reality, but when you turn around and look down it is there that you feel you are strongly "connected" with the Apennines of Reggio Emilia.
