Winter sports and fun on the Pistoia Mountains

Outside the ski itineraries, among wellness, shopping, gastronomy and routes through nature and history, there is no shortage of opportunities for a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. Abetone and Cutigliano, but also the valley floor areas of the Pistoia Mountains, such as San Marcello Pistoiese, Gavinana and Maresca, will surprise you with hotels, villages, mountain refuges, residences and campsites, as well as typical restaurants, pizzerias, discos and indoor swimming pools, to rejuvenate your muscles after a day on the snow.

A modern area for those who seek safety in sport, for those who demand efficiency in the ski lifts and for those who want to find many opportunities to experience the mountain with all its winter sports. Abetone, with over 50 km of slopes, manages to please just about everyone, from the most experienced skier, with the most daring routes between the slopes of Mount Gomito and the forests of Regine and Selletta, to children, with school camps and areas reserved for them.

It is also the best-equipped ski resort for people with disabilities, a mountain that is therefore accessible and allows everyone to have fun and spend a day among the nature and the most evocative winter landscapes of Tuscany.

Between slopes, for a gastronomic break, one of the many local specialties is necci, sweets made with chestnut flour to be filled with jams, chocolate and cheese.

On the other hand, for those who want to supplement their sports vacation with walks to learn about the history and nature of Abetone, you can visit the two pyramids, the Church of San Leopoldo and the Forest Botanical Garden.

The ski resort of Doganaccia in Cutigliano offers ski slopes for all levels, and it is also possible to practice cross-country skiing. Very fascinating are the itineraries dedicated to ski mountaineering, to combine a sports vacation with a hike in the wildest nature.

In Cutigliano, moreover, are worth a visit the Museum of the People of Pistoia Appennines and the Ecomuseum of Pistoia Mountains, exhibiting a cross-section of the life, history and traditions of this area.

In between skiing, an interesting itinerary is to explore the villages of the Pistoia Mountains: from medieval San Marcello Pistoiese, queen of the Apennines, to the historical center of Gavinana, that houses the Ferrucciano Museum, to Popiglio, famous for its tall towers.

The area is also rich in small museums that preserve the history and traditions of these mountain villages: the Museum of Rural Culture of Marliana, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Piteglio and the Astronomical Observatory of San Marcello Pistoiese.