Tour of the two lakes

In this itinerary we will ride the variants of the Ciclovia del Sole, from the city of Prato to the lakes of Suviana and Brasimone, crossing the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.

The route starts in Prato on the Santa Lucia bike path to the park that runs along the Bisenzio River, here it crosses a bicycle/pedestrian bridge and continues along the left bank to Gamberame, then crosses the river again to continue on Regional Road 325 to Vaiano, the most important residential area in the valley, and then towards Vernio. 

The road climbs gently but steadily to Mercatale di Vernio; after a few kilometers the climb to Montepiano begins, reaching its maximum gradient in the Sasseta area (6%-7%). Continue to climb along Regional Road 325 until you reach the junction from which Provincial Road 62 branches off towards Lake Brasimone and from there to Provincial Road 40 towards Lake Suviana in the Apennines around Bologna.

Crossing a cool valley, surrounded by deciduous forests, the route follows Provincial Road 43 and then Provincial Road 24 until it reaches Cascina di Spedaletto in the Nature Reserve of Acquerino Cantagallo - the highest point of the entire route - and then descends towards Pistoia and Prato on the Via Montalese until it reaches Santa Lucia at the end of the loop.