The Via Flaminia (called minor or military) is the name given to an extension of the Via Cassia built by the consul Caius Flaminius in 187 B.C. between Bononia (Bologna) and Arretium (Arezzo), the existence of which is handed down to us by Titus Livius in the History of Rome (Book XXXIX, ch. 2).

The name Flaminia minor, or secunda or altera or military Flaminia, has been assigned by scholars to distinguish it from the Via Flaminia traced in 220 B.C. by Gaius Flaminius’ father, Gaius Flaminius Nepos, to connect Rome with Rimini.

The precise route of the road remains the focus of debate among historians to this day. Livy speaks of the road’s construction at the end of military operations to eradicate the Ligurian populations that still occupied the Apennines, but he does not mention the exact route. The road certainly connected Bologna and Arezzo via the ridges of the Apennines.

The importance of Claterna (present-day Ozzano) located at the crossroads of the two 187 B.C. consular roads, the Via Aemilia and the “Flaminia minor,” the presence in medieval times of place names such as Flaminia, Flamenga, and Fiamenga, and traces of an ancient paved road in the upper Quaderna valley suggest that the route passed over the ridge between Idice and Sillaro.

The first stage starts from Ozzano nell’Emilia and goes as far as Villa di Cassano where, with a short detour from the main itinerary, it is possible to stay overnight.