NIGEL'S RAMBLES: Baiso

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Baiso

So far this year winter refuses to give way to spring. The weather has made it almost impossible to get out and do some serious walking.

Two Sundays ago I decided to try and further explore Rio della Rocca. The afternoon seemed passable but as soon as I got to the Orrido it started to rain intermittently. I wanted to try and explore the middle section of the Orrido. After a hard climb I discovered that it would have been better to have climbed up on the other side. It was now raining quite hard so it was time to get back to the car.

The Orrido di Rio Campovecchio, RE

I still had some time and the rain showed some signs of stopping, so I decided to go and photograph the Calanchi at Baiso. The light was a bit flat but the rain had brought out the many colours of the mud.

The colours are due to minerals such as iron and calcium present in the clay.

Calanchi, Baiso,RE

Last Saturday I decided on a circular walk that I have been planning to do for ages. The walk starts at Cassinago, Baiso and ends at the Castle of Baiso.

Cassinago is a typical Apennine “Borgo” with a nice tower house. The rest of the walk was nothing special, just some nice views. When I arrived at the castle it was impossible to see it.

Cassinago, Baiso,RE

Roe Deer or "Capriolo" in Italian.

During the week I went a couple of times to photograph Vercallo a medieval “Borgo” near Casina RE.

This is one of my favourite spots in the low Apennines. I also wanted to see how the Olympus handles the yellow stone which is used for building here. The D300 often had problems reproducing the colour of this stone, the Olympus with its newer sensor does a much better job.