Leaving Porretta Terme, the route follows CAI trail 167b into the territory of Castel di Casio, while the view opens toward Corno alle Scale, the highest peak of the Bolognese Apennines. At around 600 meters of altitude, the village of Casola is reached, where the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Casola preserves a notable painting of the Assumption of the Virgin.

From Casola, the path continues along the ancient Via della Mappiana, one of the variants of the Via Francesca della Sambuca, retracing the medieval main route for centuries used by pilgrims, merchants, and soldiers traveling between Pistoia and Bologna. The ascent continues steadily to the Crocetta pass, at 739 meters the highest point of the day’s walk, where the crossroads opens onto wide pastures and rows of trees on both sides of the ridge.

Here begins the descent toward Savignano, a hamlet of Grizzana Morandi, perched on the ridge dividing two valleys. Along the road is a memorial plaque dedicated to the victims of the Savignano massacre, which took place on September 30, 1944, in the Famaticcia area near the Bologna–Porretta railway line. On that day, nine workers were stopped, beaten, and executed by German SS troops. The following day, in the same area, Dr. Enea Macentelli, a local physician from Grizzana and member of the 63rd Bolero Partisan Brigade, was killed simply for failing to comply with a German order to stay away.

Continuing along the Via Francesca della Sambuca, one of the most striking panoramic views opens up, including the unmistakable silhouette of Rocchetta Mattei. The descent through the forest gradually leads down toward the Reno River and the final destination of the stage, between Riola (municipality of Vergato) and Ponte. Here stands a remarkable example of 20th-century architecture: the Church of Santa Maria Assunta di Riola, the only Italian project by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.