From the small unassuming town of Fornaci di Barga we enter the Apuane forests, climbing up through chestnut woods and dropping down through vineyards to the ancient village of Verni. Here we enter an impressive series of limestone massifs that rise up to 2000m within a few kms of the sea, the Apuanes are famous for their scenery of white marble towers, abysses and the largest cave system in Italy. En route to Trassilico (732m) we stumble across remote chapels, and abandoned farms. We climb Monte Forato (1223m) visit the ‘Grotta del Vento’ with its subterranean lakes and ‘living’ stalagmites and stalactites. From Fornovolasco there is a long day to make the optional ascent of Pania della Croce (1860m), the view from the summit is quite magnificent. Before dropping down to the old hermitage at Calomini and back to Fornaci.
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Your Accommodation
Accommodation in the Apuane Alps is generally of a more simple standard than one might expect in the more popular parts of Tuscany. It is however clean and comfortable.
We spend our first and last night in Fornaci di Barga at a centrally located modern 3* hotel. Then a small,
pension in the village of
Verni which was once a Roman colony. The pension has a terrace with a wonderful view of Trassilico.
Our next three nights are spent in Fornovolasco at a typical small unclassified hotel, the rooms are simply furnished and share a bathroom.
The penultimate night is spent in a small apartment with its own
private bathroom just 100m from the Monastery at the Eremo di Calomini, an ancient hermitage site carved into rock
walls, and a superb restaurant.
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This remote area of northern Tuscany has an old world charm of its own. It is a world away from the towns and rolling hills of the south. The Apuane Alps are covered by a web of trails providing routes from hamlet to hilltop and beyond. You will experience superb scenery, mountain wilderness and tranquillity. This trek has many attractive ingredients, from wide mountain vistas, to remote hamlets surrounded by forest and mountain scenery. There are few other walkers and the villagers make you feel truly welcome. 