Terra di Toscana www.terraditoscana.com

Day 1 - Snowshoeing in the Casentino

Hike: from the Mugello to Romagna via Monte Falterona

When you reach the small village of Castagno d'Andrea in the Mugello, continue along the asphalt road (unpaved in some places) that climbs in a series of wide bends to the Borbotto bivouac (open all the year round; spring close by).
Park the car and walk past the bar blocking car access and along the forest road into the beautiful forest of the national park. After just 400m, leave the forest road and take a path (G.E.A. signs) on the right, which begins to climb, steeply in places, through the beech wood covering the steep slopes of Monte Falterona. Taking wide bends, the path finally reaches a crest. Walk along it till you come to a panoramic view of the Scalicci di Piancancelli area, which gets its name from the geological shape of the rocks, which consist of layers of sandstone structured in such a way that they look like enormous stairs.
The final stretch of the path, which ends up near the wooden cross on the summit of Monte Falterona (1654m) is quite difficult, because the weight of snow on the fir tree saplings unwisely planted on the summit bends them over, and it can be hard work getting through.

After taking in the view of the entire alluvial basin of the Mugello, go left and drop down to a small road on the Casentino side, which soon starts climbing again up to the panoramic peak of Monte Falco (1658m). Head directly south, carrying on along the watershed till you get to the arrival point of a ski lift for the only ski facilities in the area. Skirt round an airforce meteorological station, and follow the path along the crest until you finally arrive at the extensive fields of the Burraia; if you're in a group and have telephoned Angiolo Ricci of the local mountain rescue unit in advance, you can get the old refuge here opened up, which dates back to the time of the Grand Duchy. After having had lunch under shelter, carry on southwards till you descend to the Passo della Calla (1296m). From the pass, after thirty or forty metres, take an old mule track (which also dates back to the period of the Grand Duchy) on the right which descends to a recently-restored bridge and then climbs for a short stretch to the village of Campigna at 1068m (Bar-Hotel-Ristorante Granduca - tel. 0543/980051; Hotel Lo Scoiattolo - tel. 0543/980052).
If you walk on for about another two kilometres on the quiet road descending towards S. Sofia, you come to a junction where there's an unpaved road on the left that goes downhill to the Agriturismo Il Poderose, where the friendly Lorenza will give you a warm welcome and put you up very comfortably!

Access Da Firenze con la S.S.n° 67 per Forlì fino a S. Godenzo - bivio per Castagno D'Andrea.
Da Forlì con la S.S.n°67 per Firenze, via passo del Muraglione fino a S. Godenzo - bivio per Castagno D'Andrea.
Time required Ore 6
Difference in height 500 m.
Difficulty E, su sentieri a tratti ripidi ma segnalati (segnavia G.E.A.)
Salite Dure  
Maps  Itinerari naturalistici -S.EL.CA./ Comune di Poppi - 1.15.000 - Cartografia 1:30.000 allegata al volume G.E.A. - Multigraphic carta del Casentino - Carta del Casentino 1:50000 S.EL.C.A. - Le Mappe di Airone 1:65.000 Giorgio Mondadori
Info Ufficio del Parco di S. Godenzo(Fi) tel. 0558375121
Next...

 

Text and pictures Gianfranco Bracci
Translation: Jeremy Carden


Terraditoscana © Polimedia - All rights reserved
Press registration n. 5528 10/11/2006 - Editor Polimedia - P.IVA 06790950486