Mountain bike ride on the Montalbano ridge

The itinerary is a loop-shaped ride through the areas of Florence, Prato and Pistoia, perfect places for a bike ride admiring the beauty of nature in the Montalbano area. We start from the town of Casalguidi, riding along the Montalbano provincial road toward Cantagrillo, passing by the sports area named after the former head coach of the national cycling team Franco Ballerini, who died prematurely in 2010.

Once we arrive in Ponte Stella we will cross the entire industrial area to then enter the countryside of Serravalle Pistoiese. We will pass by a monument dedicated to the memory of Silvano Fedi and his comrades Giuseppe Giulietti and Brunello Biagini at the place where they were ambushed by the Nazis and Fedi and Giulietti were killed on July 29, 1944. Silvano Fedi is considered a martyr of the anti-fascist fight and his contribution in the Resistance is considered of great importance for the liberation of Pistoia.

After a kilometer we enter the dirt road that will take us to the Hill of Vinacciano, a small characteristic village, then towards Le Ville, passing by the Serravalle quarries. After a few kilometers we will be on the ridge where, on the right, we can see Padule di Fucecchio, the profile of Monsummano Alto and the plain of Pistoia. 

Continuing further along the ridge we arrive at the Croce di Belvedere, a place of pilgrimage. From there we descend toward the locality of Papi and, after some ups and downs, we will be in a beech forest in the locality of Casalvento. Here we make a small loop through the local holiday farms, and then take the spectacular descent into the woods to return to Casalguidi.

Itinerary curated by Simone Querci