Apuan landscapes by bike

The Apuan Alps are the protagonists of this loop-shaped trail in Garfagnana, along which we will discover the splendid landscapes that characterize this area. From Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, where the Rocca Ariostesca fortress and the Mont'Alfonso Fortress bear witness to the importance of the Este domination in the valley, we take the Strada d'Arni, which is very popular with two-wheels lovers. The road skirts the Turrite Secca stream and, slightly uphill, takes us to Isola Santa. The ancient stone village is reflected in the emerald waters of the small lake and is definitely worth a refreshing stop.

Once we leave Isola Santa, we take the wide crossroads to the right in the direction of Capanne di Careggine. We now ascend, more decisively, with wide hairpin bends to the small village, after which several kilometers of flat plain await us with spectacular viewpoints over the Panie group.

The profile of the Omo Morto stands out sharply in front of us and, once we reach Passo di Scala, a stop is mandatory. The Panie group is certainly one of the best known of the entire Apuan chain, and hides in its bowels a network of karst cavities including, open to tourist visits, the Grotta del Vento and the Antro del Corchia. We continue in the direction of the Maestà della Formica, reaching the highest point of our itinerary at 1000 meters above sea level.

We now take the road in the direction of Careggine, which welcomes us with narrow cart roads perched around the Church of San Pietro. With a small deviation from the route, we can reach the Panchina Gigante on the hill of Monti. The view sweeps from the Apuan Alps to the Apennines and gives us a splendid view of Vagli Lake. Back in the village, our route continues downhill to the village of Poggio, here, paying attention to the gpx track, we leave the paved road to access the Villetta railway bridge, some 54 meters high over the bed of the Serchio river.

From Villetta – San Romano railway station, we follow the signs of the historic Via del Volto Santo, in the direction of Pontecosi, the small village overlooking the lake of the same name. Before tackling the last climb of the route, crossing the medieval bridge of Madonna del Ponte is another opportunity for a photo stop that cannot be missed. By now on the outskirts of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, we enter the historic town center by crossing the main Piazza Umberto I, shortly reaching the starting point.