To Badia di Moscheta from Passo del Giogo di Scarperia

Skiing round the Apennine hermitages

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.

Text and picture: Cinzia Pezzani & Sergio Grillo
Translation: Jeremy Carden