Valbisenzio, the wonders of the Reserve

The itinerary crosses a protected natural area that, from a naturalistic point of view, is the most valuable area of the entire Valbisenzio because of the territory's own characteristics, still largely uncontaminated and wild, and because of the presence of a large state forest consisting of chestnut and beech woods. Very important from the point of view of biodiversity is the great variety of fauna, with deer as the characterizing wildlife element. Particularly important is the presence of the wolf and the wild cat, species that have now disappeared permanently in other Italian forests. In addition to the typical fauna of the Apennines, there are numerous protected species, including the crayfish, the spotted salamander and the spectacled salamander. Scattered throughout the area are various buildings, now mostly in ruins, evidence of the sylvo-pastoral production activity that was the mainstay of the local economy in the past. The only buildings that remain in use are the Cascine di Barbe, the Vespaio, the Cascina di Spedaletto and the Rifugio Cave still used today as rest areas.

We start from Cantagallo and after a short paved descent we arrive at the junction for Luogomano, then the route becomes unpaved and proceeds, with a road with a stony but viable surface and docile slopes, as far as Le Barbe, Vespaio and finally the Acandoli pass. From here the route continues until it meets the paved road that climbs from Tobbiana to the Acquiputoli pass. Continuing along the forest road that crosses the reserve we arrive at the Cerliano bivouac and finally at the cozy Le Cave lodge. From the latter lodge, the trail narrows and becomes stony after swerving through the via delle cannicciaie. This last stretch (about 1.5 kilometer) deserves special attention because it is steep and strewn with stones. Once we arrive at the bridge over the Ceppeta stream, a short climb begins that brings us back to the village of Cantagallo at the end of the loop.