The rain yesterday morning gave us an excuse for a slow start, with a walk along the river at Ponte a Serraglio after coffee and pastry at Il Monaco. The day has a distinct autumn feel with a light sprinkling of rain and mist.
As the rain looks like easing we take a drive heading for the ski village of Abetone, the most important winter sports area in central Italy. One would certainly not expect skiing in Tuscany so we don’t know what to expect, but we have read that the area has given rise to several Italian ski champions.
We take the SS12 road out of Bagni di Lucca, a much better and wider road than those we encountered yesterday going the other direction to Monte Di Villa. It is a pleasant drive and we soon find ourselves in the depths of autumnal beauty.
We stop at Ponte Magglio at Giardinetto to take a look at the bridge and view. The hills are dotted with little puffs of mist looking like the imitation snow used to decorate Christmas trees.
There isn’t a safe path beside the road to allow us to get a good photo of the bridge, so we have to be content with the view we had from the car. We continue our journey, made simple as we just have to stick to the SS12 all the way to Abetone.
Our next stop is at another bridge, Ponte Sospeso, at Piteglio a commune in the Province of Pistoia in Tuscany, sitting between the valleys of Torbecchia and Liesina on an important ancient road. In the 12th century Piteglio was a fortified castle.
Further on is Cutigliano, and it’s from here that the beautiful green and yellow foliage of the surrounding woods starts to merge into rich yellow, orange and brown autumn leaves. We are in the Upper Apennines of Pistoia, among the peaks of Libro Aperto and Mount Cimone, and between the river valleys of the Lima and the Sestaione.
These highlands were defended over the centuries with towers and castles. Cutigliano descends from one of these and today is not only a winter sports resort but also an important section of the EcoMuseum of the Pistoia mountains. The nature reserve of Pian degli Ontani is a large beech grove.
From now the road to Abetone is flanked by woods of staggering beauty – tall thin tree trunks on a carpet of leaves, falling coloured leaves, all against a soft background of misty clouds. We hop out the car to walk amongst the leaves and take it all in. The photos here really can’t do it justice though.
Once in Abetone we find clusters of ski chalets, ski lifts and numerous restaurants and bars – however today we find just one restaurant open for lunch (that also serves as a post office). No matter as we are seated at a table by the window with gorgeous views over the valley. A satisfying lunch of crostini, beef slices in rosemary sauce, roast pork, roast potatoes and spinach is finished with a lemoncello and espresso.
Abetone is actually located on the pass bordering Tuscany and Emilia, has a vast pine forest, camping grounds and a skiing area in the Emilian Apennines reaching 1,900 meters and stretching for over 80 km. It is the largest skiing network in the Mediterranean area and includes four valleys: Val di Luce, Valle dello Scotenna, Valle del Sestaione and Valle Lima. There are 42 ski slopes and three cross-country slopes.
After lunch we drive a little further on from Abetone but as the cloud is widespread we turn around to head back to Bagni di Lucca. We soon find ourselves in dense fog barely able to see more than a few metres in front as we wind down the road. Hazard lights are on to increase our visibility to on coming traffic. Thankfully we come out of the thick fog after about 20 minutes and the remaining drive back to Bagni di Lucca is trouble free.