Between the pine forests and the lake

During this pleasant tour, we will ride through the Pineta di Levante pine forest, arriving then as far as Lake Massaciuccoli, discovering the natural treasures of the area.

Leaving the Viareggio station, we keep slightly to the right and take Via 20 Settembre heading toward the sea, where we take the bike path turning left onto the waterfront. On our right we will see some beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, including the Margherita café, the Duilio 48 bazaar and the Balena Bathing Establishment.

We go beyond the canal port and continue straight ahead to enter the pineta della Lecciona pine forest, walking along Viale dei Tigli. If we prefer to continue on asphalt we go straight on, otherwise at the first traffic light we turn right onto a path and shortly afterward we turn left to take a beautiful dirt path that crosses the entire Lecciona pine forest, a very fascinating natural oasis.

When we arrive at the paved road we take the bike path on the right in the direction of Marina di Torre del Lago. Before reaching the sea we turn left onto a dirt road that continues parallel to the sea for a few kilometers as far as Marina di Vecchiano. We ride along a short stretch on asphalt and then take the path that continues parallel to the sea through the Mediterranean scrub until we reach the mouth of the Serchio river. Here we have to push the bike for a few hundred meters on the sand, but it is worth it because it is a beautiful place.

We continue on a dirt road and when we arrive at a small brick bridge with a hydraulic work we cross it on the right and take Via del Mare, heading inland.

We cross the built-up area of Vecchiano, take the first paved and then dirt road that runs along the bank of the Serchio until we reach the built-up area of Nodica; we cross it and take the road to Filettole, which we follow for a few kilometers until we turn left to take the Puccini bicycle/pedestrian route.

We follow the signs for the Puccini bicycle/pedestrian route, which alternates between stretches on a dirt road and stretches on a path, skirting the wetland area of Lake Massaciuccoli, where we can spot various birdwatching stations. In the vicinity of Massaciuccoli we travel along an evocative stretch on a footbridge, and then leave the lake area to enter briefly the Sarzanese provincial road, which we travel carefully, and then head toward Massarosa. A series of dirt and paved secondary roads takes us back toward the Viareggio station.