Departure: Massa (Piazza degli Aranci)
Best time of year: March to October;
Difficulty: high
Time. 2.5 hours
Length: 35 Km
Info:
davifabi@tiscali.it
nicolomaggi@hotmail.com
Telephone: 338.9690502 0584.89529
Description:
Departing from Piazza Aranci, the heart of the city of Massa, which takes its name from the double row of orange trees that have been there since 1817, through a recently-recovered mule track you will reach the village of San Carlo, a small centre between the inland hills and the sea, which is also a spa resort.
You will cover a short stretch of asphalted road heading for "Volpara", from where, going up a very narrow (single) track into the wood, you will arrive at Santa Croce.
Go on along the dirt road for Pasquilio where you will find the Gothic Line, then renamed Green Line, which historically is that barrier fortified by the German Commanders that for about seven months had divided Italy into two.
You can take your supply of fresh water, then move on again through a white-ground carriage road gently descending towards mount Folgorito, where you will find a cave dug into the flank of the mountain where 12-men teams used to take rest during the Second World War.
From there you can enjoy the view of the coast between the Apuan Alps and Versilia, and you might even be able to see the main islands of the Tuscan Archipelago.
What we are covering are the “trails of the Apuan Resistance”, that’s why you will find a 30-metre trench, two shelters and two duly-marked bunkers.
The descent moves further down to the village of Montignoso, in the province of Massa, which was documented as early as the VII and VI century BC, inhabited by Liguri Apuani, then in the Middle Ages it reached its peak of splendour (the Aghinolfi Castle was erected at that time).
The last stretch of our trail takes us back to Piazza Aranci in Massa, through the ancient Via Aurelia.
You can go either way, as you prefer.
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Departure: Massa.
Best time of year: March to October
Difficulty: difficult
Time: 3.30 hours
Length: 45 km
Description
Departing from Piazza Aranci, in the heart of the city of Massa, which takes its name from the double row of orange trees that have been there since 1817, go on for the road leading to the river mouth, then on to the village of Mirteto, surrounded by hills dotted with vineyards.
Here starts the uphill stretch leading to Bergiola Maggiore.
Moving on along a white road in the wood, you will get at the top of Mount Brugiana. Here the landscape offers a lovely view: the enchanted whiteness of the marble fields is set off by the blueness of the sea in front of it; now the track goes on, heading for the coast.
You will move down along a demanding track followed by a more comfortable wide dirt road to the village of Foscalina. Going back up to the river mouth, turn for the Candia hills, famous for their good traditional wine, through an uphill asphalt and dirt road.
Riding down through the vineyards, you will reach the neighbourhood of Romagnano from where, along the Via Aurelia, you will go back to Piazza Aranci.
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The tour of Oppilo is classed by the Pontremolibike association as an easy tour, suitable for fit people as well as for anyone, even if the latter may take longer to complete it.
The tour starts from Pontremoli, an ancient town in Lunigiana, where a prestigious literary award is held: the Bancarella award, held in Piazza della Repubblica in July every year.
Going south, you will find the XV-century town and the Church of S.S. Annunziata, and a short stretch on an asphalt road will soon take you to the village of Pieve di Saliceto, near the the A15.
From here, ride on for 6.2 km heading for the village of Teglia, with its typical Romanesque belfry and the XVIII-century Villa Pavesi frescoed by Natali and Contestabili.
Just after the training pitch, on the bank of the river Teglia on your left, turn right for the cemetery of Teglia, which you will reach after riding the last, short, fairly difficult stretch of asphalt road amidst chestnut woods and fir trees.
From the cemetery of Teglia, a dirt road will lead you uphill.
9 km after your departure, you will be in Oppilo, a small medieval village (with a Byzantine cross dating back to 1530 engraved on a lintel) famous for its vineyards.
At the junction near Oppilo, turn left for Careola.
Ride on along the main road to the end of the dirt road, where you shall turn right into the asphalt road through to the junction with the provincial road going up to Arzelato.
Turn right down to Pontremoli, which you will reach after about 2 km.
Be careful because on the right, just before the junction for Torrano, you will have to turn into the dirt road.
This stretch is a combination of tracks and dirt roads meandering through short uphill and downhill stretches; when in Costa D’Orsola, turn left into the downhill slope on your right bound for the village of Pieve di Saliceto, known in the old times as Pieve dei S.S. Ippolito e Cassiano di Urceola where archaeological excavations are currently being carried out.
Be extremely careful while on this very steep and bumpy road.
When on the provincial road, turn left for S.S. Annunziata and after 18.5 km you will be back in Pontremoli.
This tour, even if fairly long, has been classed as moderately difficult.
Departure is from Pontremoli bound for Aulla along the SS 62 or Cisa; ride on easily for 10 km as far as the junction for Bagnone, where you will find the grand XV-century complex of the convent and church of S.S. Annunziata 1.6 km later.
Ride on for 6 km; in Filattiera, an ancient Byzantine village, the road runs through a spectacular sight that for centuries has been the travelling companion of the pilgrims who used to stop in the Romanesque Parish Church of Sorano.
Leave Filattiera and turn left for Piano di Mocrone to see the Malgrate Castle, with its typical round tower, 25 metres tall, which for centuries has been overlooking the valley of the river Bagnone.
After 14 km, you will ride through the village of Bagnone, a small village with nestled houses and narrow alleys, surrounded by lush woods.
The village is dominated by a castle, erected around the year 1100, owned first by the Malaspina family, now by Countess Maria Luisa Noceti Ruschi in Fontana, who sometimes stays here with her family.
Across the bridge on the river Bagnone, you will head for Licciana Nardi, and here you will have to ride along a fairly difficult uphill slope that will take you straight to Bagnone castle.
Here a long stretch of uphill and downhill slopes will take you to Licciana Nardi, 28.6 km from your departure.
Along this stretch, you will ride through the villages of Pegazzana, Croce, Gabbiana, Lusana and Panicate, an ancient court of the Obertenga family before reaching Licciana Nardi.
Into the village, dating back to the XIII century, you will be in the main square with the castle standing in it, which was converted in the XV and XVI centuries into a fortified palace and a residence and is now a XVI-century-style elegant palace connected by an overhead gallery to the women’s gallery in the church.
As you leave the village, at the junction turn right for Aulla.
After about 2 km, you will ride through Monti di Licciana where you can see the castle, surrounded by centuries-old oak trees, one of the residences of the Malaspina family.
Then, turn right again for Villafranca. The next 10 km are a succession of easy uphill and downhill slopes, just as mild as the landscape you will be rirding through. Once in the medieval village of Villafranca, with the Manlio castle on top which houses the Ethnographic Museum of Lunigiana, turn right again into the SS 62 or Cisa heading for Pontremoli, through the centuries-old wood of Filetto, an ancient, charming village resembling a Roman-Byzantine castrum.
Then you will have to ride the last 13 km very easily without any special problem along the highway for Pontremoli.
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Our tour begins with the spa, which has been known since the time of San Carlo Borromeo (hence its name), to enjoy the extraordinary view.
The spa is surrounded by a vast park, which was completely restored in 1992. The spa is one of the best equipped for water treatments and is famous for its bottled water.
Interesting facts: under an agreement with the National Health Service, the spa offers treatments for urinary calculosis and gastroenteric and bilious diseases.
For information:
San Carlo stazione termale Via dei Colli, San Carlo Terme, 54100, Massa
tel. 0585/47.703-4 or visit www.aptmassacarrara.it
Our tour goes on, heading for Parco Culturale delle Grotte in Equi Terme.
Ride on again along the SP4 bound for Massa; here take the SS446 and ride on for about 7 km, then turn into the SP10 to Monzone.
This village is nestled on a rocky spur at the meeting of the two branches of the torrent Lucido flowing down from the Apuan Alps.
Typical and charming in its natural scenery, the village can also boast some springs, such as the outstanding one on the road from Monzone to Vinca, in the midst of a poplar wood, and two springs called Dell'acqua bianca and Dell'acqua nera, respectively (white water and black water).
One is salty, just like seawater, has a laxative effect and is used as a purgative; the other, which despite its name is crystal clear, is used to treat hypertension.
Now our tour goes on along the SP59 to Vinca, a small village on the Apuan Alps, known for making a special bread with spring water, flour and bran from the local mill, left to rise for a long time and cooked in firewood ovens, giving the bread unique flavour and taste.
Then go on along the SP10; after about 3 km, you will be in Equi terme.
A tour of Parco Culturale delle Grotte in Equi Terme invites us to pleasantly and directly learn more about the karstic system and the natural environment of the area, which was inhabited by the first hominids. At the end, take a stroll along Solco di Equi, a natural canyon dug into the rock by the torrent Lucido.
Learning about the area through its “waters”, from Equi Terme to Ponte S. Lucia in Monzone (easy trek).
- Tour of the village of Equi Terme, tasting of freshwater;
- Tour of the spa in Equi, tasting of sulphur water;
- Along the way, tour of the spring of Bozzetti;
- Arrival in Acqua Nera and Acqua Salata, tasting of both waters (if possible);
Our tour includes a one-day excursion in the Parco Culturale delle Grotte in Equi Terme, composed of:
• The Grottoes, a shelter and dwelling for prehistoric men;
• The Museum of the Grottoes, an educational, ecological and historical place;
• Solco di Equi, a natural canyon;
• The Archeoparco, for an educational session to re-enact a prehistoric day.
For information: Associazione Il Tau Viale G. Galilei, 40 - 54036 Carrara (MS) tel/fax 0585-85 72 88 cell. 333-419 66 88 e-mail info@iltau.it
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