Lagastrello Pass: fun for climbers

Writes Davide Tondani, in Il Corriere Apuano: "On 1990 the Pink race, the Giro d'Italia, passes over the Lagastrello Pass. It is Bugno's Giro in the pink jersey from start to finish, and the stage, from La Spezia to Langhirano, on a cold and rainy day, will be won for the first time by a Soviet pro, Pulnikov. But the Apennine summit is the scene of an episode that will mark the following years: the pink jersey is attacked on the descent, while wearing a cape, by one of his rivals in the youth categories, Claudio Chiappucci, from Varese, the son of parents from Lunigiana. The supposed absence of fair-play and the ensuing controversy will give expression to the last great rivalry in Italian cycling."

This is why the Lagastrello Pass is, with good reason, a perfect place for challenges for amateur and professional cyclists.

The route we propose is the most scenic, the one from the Lunigiana side, passing through Licciana Nardi on the outward journey and returning passing by Comano.

We start and return to Licciana Nardi, the main cluster of houses in the Taverone Valley. The road on an excellent asphalt surface is a long and challenging climb up to the 1,200-meter altitude of the Pass and its artificial lake used for hydroelectric purposes. It climbs through chestnut and beech forests, rural villages, bridges, tunnels, scenic hairpin bends and the remains of the ancient Linari Abbey: an exciting journey into the nature and culture of this borderland.

The descent is from the Comano valley and again back to Licciana Nardi.