The village of Serravalle from which we enjoy a beautiful view from our house that varies almost at every hour of the day, can be easily reached on foot.

The walk begins on the dirt road via Pitti (700 meters) up to Via di Cagnano, continue to the right and then along via Pace for the steep climb that leads to the small village.

You can then explore the towers of the ancient fortress. On one of the towers it is possible to climb and observe the splendid view which can be enjoyed. Also try to identify our farmhouse from the top of the tower: it is not difficult to recognize it.

You can then take a tour of the village, among the narrow and characteristic streets and if you are lucky enough to find one of the two open churches, take a peek inside: you can savor the quiet and intimate atmosphere they instill.

The walk up to the towers takes approximately 25 minutes. 

This walk leads to the village Castellina which is located 380 meters above sea level. It is therefore a walk with some uphill sections, but easy to walk.

Starting from the farmhouse, go along the entire dirt road Via Pitti to the Via Cagnano. Instead of turning right as is usually done for a daily excursion, turn left and continue along the road, always remaining on the main route.

The road is partly paved and partly unpaved, for public transit, and at a certain point you also cross a small private zoo of a person who loves to breed animals of various species such as peacocks, geese, llamas, pigeons, etc. These animals can be seen quite well from the street and consider that the person who raises them does not like being approached for fear of frightening the animals.

The walk to Castellina takes about 1 hour and a half.

Il borgo di Castellina può essere raggiunto dall’Agriturismo I Pitti a piedi oppure in automobile.

Dalla piazza della chiesa di Castellina (m.365) si procede in salita in via Valenta e dopo circa 700 metri, con l’ultimo tratto pianeggiante, si svolta a sinistra. Dopo poche decine di metri a destra entriamo nel bosco. Seguiamo la carrareccia principale inizialmente in falsopiano e poco dopo in salita e, percorsi circa 600 metri, ignorando il segnalino bianco-rosso a dritto, si prosegue a sinistra in leggera salita su terreno sassoso e successivamente in falsopiano con fondo sabbioso.

Recentemente questo tratto di strada sterrata è stato ampliato e consente di poterlo percorrere agevolmente, pertanto ignoriamo i sentieri laterali e continuiamo osservando ai lati arbusti di erica, felci, ginestre, corbezzoli e agrifogli. Al successivo bivio teniamo la destra e continuiamo a seguire la strada principale con fondo più compatto. Questo tragitto attraversa un bosco con castagni e pini fino ad arrivare alle prime case ed in breve alla strada asfaltata in località Pagliaine (m. 540). A questo punto ci sono due alternative:

1 ) tornare al luogo di partenza. In questo caso voltare a destra in salita e poco dopo, al termine della strada asfaltata, entrare ancora nel bosco e seguire i segnali bianco-rossi, prima in discesa e poi in prossimità di un rudere, in falsopiano, fino a incrociare nuovamente il bivio incontrato durante il percorso dell’andata. Da qui ripercorrere a ritroso lo stesso tragitto fino alla piazza della chiesa di Castellina;

2) proseguire fino a Casore del Monte. voltare a sinistra su strada pianeggiante e oltrepassare il bivio per l’“Associazione Nuovi Orizzonti”. Percorrere interamente via Castellina fino all’incrocio con la strada principale. Da qui voltare a sinistra per circa km 2,5 fino alla località Casore del Monte (m.560). Per il percorso di ritorno tornare sullo stesso percorso a Pagliaine  e da qui seguire le indicazioni dell’alternativa 1).

Climbing difference in height: 195 m. 

Lenght: km. 3,5 to Pagliaine (there and back km 7) km 6 to Casore del Monte (there and back km 12)

Time: 1  hour (there) 2 hous back up to Pagliaine, 1,5 hous there and 3 hours there and back to Casore del Monte

Type of pathway: dirt road (excluding the first 700 meters of asphalt and 2.5 km of asphalt to reach Casore del Monte) 

Equipment: camera, flask 

Starting point: From Castellina (Serravalle Pistoiese Municipality) Church Square

Level of difficulty: easy, suitable for everyone

Notes: passable all year on foot

Presence of fountains only in Castellina and Casore del Monte

The coutryside surrounding Vinci and the House in Anchiano are undoubtedly the first great source of inspiration for young Leonardo. The wooded slopes of Montalbano which, today like then, transform first into olive groves and then into vineyards, are unique to this landscape, background to the childhood of the Genius. To enter this nature means to travel back in time and to find yourselves in the young artist’s shoes when he first started to empyrically observe the nature and its elements, and to follow into his footsteps.

The path begins at the Strada Verde(Green Road), itinerary n. 14, the 2 km path that connects Vinci to Leonardo’s house.  The itinerary explores them typical Tuscan countryside, with its distinctive terracing and fields of olive trees and vineyards, and it retraces an old path, known in the 1800s as Via Botanica. This same road was usually walked by Giuseppe Garibaldi, leaving the Fattoriadel Ferrale, when he was a guest of Count Masetti in 1867. As noted by historian Gustavo Uzielli, the Hero of the Two Worlds used to “wake up at 4 inthe morning, take a cold shower and then, through the Via Botanica, walked to Leonardo’s House in Anchiano to gather some of that great man’s Genius forhimself”.

Today, the Strada Verde is a very evocative hiking trail for those who want to reach Leonardo’s House and enjoythe beautiful views of Vinci and the Tuscan countryside, and it is walked every year by thousands of visitors in search for the origins of the Genius. Along this path, half way between Vinci and Anchiano, you can find a fork leading to the 1400s pescaia, used for centuries to regulate the water flow for the canal which powers the Mulino della Doccia near Vinci. A map of that same Mill is sketched by Leonardo in an early 1500s drawing (Codex Atlanticus, 765r, Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana).

Details:

Path’s lenght: 1800 mt

Type of path: foot, bike

Road surface: dirt road, with somepaved sections

Difficulty: easy, medium declivity

It is a very pleasant itinerary for trekking lovers, ideal to escape from the hot days in the plain, a way to spend a day that is a little different from the usual.

I recommend taking the walk with suitable shoes and clothing that can also protect against the summer showers that can occur almost unexpectedly, especially in the months of July and August.

La Doganaccia (1547 m.) can be reached by car driving for about 14 km after Cutigliano, or taking the cableway from Cutigliano.

The itinerary starts from the little church near the arrival station of the cableway. Once there, take the red-and-white signaled path, and, after walking under the chairlift, take the steep slope on your right. (On your left you will see the path that leads to the Croce Arcana Mountain and the "faggio di Maria" ("Mary's beech”), a big solitary beech-tree dominating over the Doganaccia. From here you can enjoy a wonderful view of the ridges of the Apennines, from the Libro Aperto and the Cimone on the western side, to the Cornacelo and Mount Gennaio on the eastern side.) 

You will meet a dirt road near a ditch, cross it and keep walking on the path that cuts the southern versant of Mount Spigolino. After you reach the spring (where you can fill up your flasks), keep climbing and you will soon find the CAI path 0-0 near the Calanca Pass (1737 m.). Before 1789 this pass was known as "Calanchetta" in order to distinguish it from the Calanca Pass that was set between Mount Cupolino and the Cornacio and that is nowadays called "dei Tre Termini". According to some historians, Hannibal and his army crossed this pass in the spring of 217 a.C. The Carthaginian commander, who was returning from the battles in the North of ltaly during which he had lost an eye, crossed this pass on the back of the only elephant that survived the war. 

Continue eastward and you will reach, in about half an hour, lake Scaffaiolo (1775 m.), one of the most beautiful natural lakes of Northern Appenines. 

The origin of the Lake has been long debated. Different and bizzarre hypothesis were presented: from a volcanic origin ( but there are no volcanic rocks in the area), to the existence of canals which fed the lake directly from the sea. The name “Scaffaiolo” seems to derive from “Scaffa” (basin), which may explain the origin of the lake. The waterproof rocks, typical of this area, retain the water gathered in the small basin (only a few hundred meter wide) formed by Mount Cupolino. The absence of any kind of vegetation, due to the height, has prevented it from being slowly covered with earth. However, recent climate change has significantly reduced its size.

Close to the Lake Scaffaiolo there is the Duca degli Abruzzi refuge which offers a pleasant lunch point with polenta or pasta with meat sauce, mushroom sauces etc. and both cold and hot drinks.

It is open from 12 am to 3 pm and from 7 pm to 8.30 pm from June 15 to September 15 with room and board service. For the rest of the year open every weekend except November, the month of annual closure. During the holiday period at the turn of the year, the refuge is open from December 26th to the Epiphany. During the Easter period the Refuge remains open for a week.

Refuge tel.nr.: +39 534 53390

Antonio Tabanelli: 3477129414

Lucia Ceron: 3384884782

Mirco Mori: 3275705234

Climbing difference in height: 250 m. 

Lenght: 8 Km. (there and back) 

Time: 1 and 1/2 hour (there) 60 minutes (back) 

Type of pathway: mountain track 

Equipment: binoculars, camera, mountain boots, waterproof cape, flask 

Starting point: Doganaccia cableway parking 

Signs: CAI paths n. 66 and n. 0-0, with red-and-white signs 

Level of difficulty: average