Visiting the Magnificent Ravines of Sant’Antonino

You can feel a bit like a geologist for a day even in Oltrepò Pavese. Really? How?
By visiting the Magnificent Ravines of Sant’Antonino ! It seems like an oxymoron but these ravines are truly wonderful.

The Orridi di Sant’Antonino are also known as the Grand Canyon of Oltrepò Pavese , and certainly because they are sheer rock walls created following deforestation caused by water erosion.

The result is an evocative landscape of extraordinary beauty, which almost seems like the set of a science fiction or Indiana Jones movie.

These, which are technically called gullies, ends in the Rio Fossone. The rocky walls are white, made of limestone and clayly marl that is rich in minerals and even marine fossils , because even if it seems unthinkable, here in a distant time everything was covered by the sea!

Where are the Sant’Antonino Ravines located?

The area is between the Comune of Torrazza Coste and the Comune of Codevilla , in Oltrepò Pavese.

Nothing stops you from playing a little prank to your family, friends and followers, with a video at the Orridi di Sant’Antonino pretending to be in France at the Gorges du Verdon… Who knows if they will fall for it!

The surrounding Area

It is a worth planning trip that also includes other stops in the area.

For example, starting from Torrazza Coste, why not plan a beautiful and relaxing “Awe Walking”,  enjoying the panorama of vineyards?

Going through, after the excursion to the Orridi di Sant’Antonino, you can extend the route to the Church of Sant’Antonino and the Oratory Madonna delle Grazie di Montù-Mondondone: a bit of culture never hurts!

Heading instead from Torrazza Coste towards Codevilla, you can aim for one of the beautiful Big Benches of the Oltrepò.
The “Panchina Gigante n. 139”, an orange and white coulored bench, is located right in Codevilla in the “Frazione Mondondone”.

Since hiking always makes you hungry, stopin by a restaurant or farmhouse is a “must be done” experience!

For example, in the area you can find:

The Griglieria dal Griss in Codevilla, a restaurant specializing in meat dishes that also has a notable selection of wines.
Last year it received the Travellers’ Choice award.

Images taken from the Griglieria dal Griss Facebook page

The Cantina delle Merende inside Casarinivini at Codevilla is a welcoming restaurant with a rustic flavour that offers platters of cold cuts, cheeses wand jams, “gnocco fritto”, “pisarei e fasö”, cakes, in addition to the wines produced on site.

Images taken from the website of La Cantina delle Merende

The Osteria del Campanile in Torrazza Coste is a restaurant with 50 years of activity, is a true temple of tradition.

Image taken from the Osteria del Campanile Facebook page

The Locanda del Pastore in Torrazza Coste offers pizzas cooked in a wood oven accompanied by beers, as well as appetizers, first and second dishes.

Images taken from the Facebook page of Locanda del Pastore

Hugo Cafè & Restaurant is a restaurant that you can find as well in Torrazza Coste, a perfect place for breakfasts, lunches, appetizers and dinners.

Images from the Hugo Café & Restaurant Facebook page

This promises to be a very interesting day trip in the “Oltrepò Pavese”, from a naturalistic and cultural point of view, without forgetting the local cuisine.