Over the decades, the Apennine Valleys have suffered from marked de-population, bringing about serious socio-economic consequences, including the transformation of the region from a naturalistic point of view. Hamlets like Vignola have been progressively abandoned by the younger generations, who have moved away to the towns, with a consequent drop in the resident population and an increase in the average age. The flip side of the coin is the holidaymakers who find in Oltrepò the peace and quiet the plains cities cannot offer. A visit to Vignola, like other hamlets of its kind, should thus be an exercise in respect of the quiet life that is the daily reality hereabouts. A visit on tip-toes, so to speak…
Given its central position, Vignola is the lynch pin of our birdwatching trail, which splits in two here, offering visitors the chance to do a loop around Vignola itself. The views over the Staffora Valley, the typical stone houses, the sandstone cliff-faces that loom above the village, the different environments that surround it and its biodiversity, all make this hamlet one of the main points of interest in the area.