Beautiful
route along the Apennine ridge separating the Mugello from the Romagna
Toscana. Interesting beech woods (with some gigantic specimens) and
fine views, particularly towards Romagna.
The Passo del Giogo di Scarperia is easily recognizable for anyone travelling
along the SS. no. 503 by the large road signs and the hotel/restaurant. In front
of the hotel, on the other side of the road, you can immediately make out, even
after heavy snowfall, a wide track that runs along the ridge to start with, flanked
by a wooden fence. On these can be seen, generally speaking even if it has been
snowing, the red and white signs of the GEA. The very obvious track runs first
along the ridge and then across open meadowy slopes. When you reach a bar gate,
the path enters a prevalently beech wood which covers the whole of the ridge
between Passo del Giogo and the Colla di Casaglia. Back on the ridge, the track
passes a metal hut and then continues, climbing slightly, till it arrives on
the open slope of the Prati Piani (“flat fields”). The path to follow,
or at least a trace of it, is generally visible even on these broad fields. Sometimes,
especially after heavy snowfall, the whole slope is completely smooth. In this
case you need to descend steadily and diagonally to the right until you come
once again to the tall wooden fence (the highest poles are unlikely ever to be
completely covered). At this point, the track is once again clearly visible;
this reenters the wood immediately and soon begins to climb steeply. After passing
Fonte al Lupo, continue for another few hundred metres until you reach a tall
wooden sign pointing left to the Badia di Moscheta. If there is enough snow (to
reach the Badia you have to descend about 400 metres), go left towards the Badia.
Otherwise, to finish the route, you can continue along the main track which remains
at an altitude of about 1000 metres and takes you to Colla di Casaglia. If you
head towards the Badia, you go along another wide, gently descending forest road.
This leads you to the asphalt road for Badia di Moscheta 100 metres before the
Badia itself. Return to the Passo di Giogo the way you came.
Distance |
22 km (round trip) |
Difference in height |
640 m |
Time |
6 hours |
Level of difficulty |
Easy |
Map |
Multigraphic 1:25.000 n.25-28 |
Suggested period |
January/February |
Rest point/accommodation |
GEA rest point inside the Badia di Moscheta,
tel. 055/8144015 |
Getting there |
Coming from Florence, take the SS. no.
65 for the Futa. At S. Piero a Sieve take SS. no. 503 for Passo del
Giogo. From
Bologna, you also take the SS. no. 65 and then the no. 503 for
Firenzuola and the Passo del Giogo. |
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