From Campigna to Stia via the Passo della Calla

On the pathways of Dino Campana

Campigna is reached from Firenze following the highway "Tosco Romagnola" until Pontassieve and from here the highway Passo della Consuma. Arriving at Poppi, climb with the highway n.310 towards Pontvecchio and Stia and from there to "Passo della Calla and to Campigna. From Forli it is sufficient to follow highway n.310 which, going through "Galeata and S. Sofia, reaches the starting point.
An itinerary among the most interesting from a naturalistic point of view, as most of it is covered in the National Park of the Casentinesi, Campigna and Monte Falterona Forests. Above all the first part between Campigna and the Passo della Calla takes place in one of the most beautiful corners of the protected area, among the centuries old and columnar silver firs of the Campigna forest. To note as well, that the road which you follow represents the ancient road that from Corniolo climbed to Passo della Calla, a road which passes by the "Viale dei Tigli" (the avenue of the lime trees), one of the most dearly loved places of Dino Campana.
Leaving the car in the car park at Campiglia, go down between "the quandrangular houses built by Lorena in living stone", pass in front of the little factory which houses the forestry museum to reach a fork in the road. Here you take the left road and by doing so you get onto the "Viale dei Tigli" passing inside that which could be described as one of the most majestic green tunnels of the Apennines. At the end of the avenue it will be possible to continue on the old road for Corniolo. If, instead, you want to go to Stia you must retrace your steps and go beyond the car part climbing on foot along the tongue of asphalt which takes you to the highway (towards Firenze).
A little before you reach this, on the left, you find the pathway n.37 (wooden arrows) which takes you to Passo della Calla. The mule track goes straight into the woods crossing a little wooden bridge and thence starting to climb. Going along "interminable woody and deserted valleys" on the mule track which finds its way among columnar silver firs, you touch on the highway and then, with a last effort arrive at the Calla pass. From here leave the asphalt to take, on the right, a large unsurfaced road closed by a bar (pathway n.80 CAI) which enters into the Beech Woods which cloak the sloping Tuscan passes. After only a few hundred metres, at a fork in the road, go left and in doing so reach the Sorgente Calcedonia an extremely fresh spring noted for the quality of its water. Here, turn right on the asphalt and go down for a few hundred metres and then follow the white/red signs for the CAI pathway on the right which lets you cut out several turns in the highway. Return to the latter, and follow it for 200 metres then take, on the right, a road closed to cars by a bar (pathway n.80). From here on you do not cross the highway again and all the route continues inside the woods, sometimes Beech, sometimes Firs. In particular, attention must be paid to the first fork, where you go right and a successive junction where you go straight ahead. Follow the pathway, slightly overgrown, which borders the Fosso Gorgone , it is possible to descend until the cart track which takes you to the highway is reached. To reach Stia, "white and elegant amid the green, harmonious with peaceful castles" you just follow the asphalt (those who wish, however, can avoid the last tract by immediately taking the road to return to Campigna).

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