Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
3 PERFECT ROAD TRIPS
Nerves and stomach depending, dozens of narrow roads spaghetti from Castelnuovo into the Garfag-
nana's rural depths.
Alpine Flora & Marble Mountain
Head west towards the Med. The first 17km along the SP13 is straightforward, but once you fork right
2km south of Arni (follow signs for Massa along the SP4), motoring becomes a relentless succession
of hairpins, unlit tunnels and breathtaking vistas of Carrara's marble quarries as you cross the Apuane
Alps over the
Passo del Vestito
(1151m). Stop in
Pian della Fioba
to discover alpine flora in the
Orto Botanico Pietro Pellegrini
(Botanical Garden;
www.parcapuane.toscana.it/ob
; Pian della Fioba;
9am-noon & 3-7pm May-Sep) and break for coffee at
Rifugio Città di Massa
( 05 8581 9043;
www.rifugiodimassa.it
;
dm incl breakfast €25; May-Sep). From here the road drops down,
through
Antona
and
Altagnana
clinging to the hilllside, to
Massa
on the Versilian coast. The entire
drive is 42km.
Subterranean Rivers & Lakes
The SS445 is a twisting route that leads you through lush green hills pocked with caves. The most ac-
cessible and spectacular is
Grotta del Vento
( 05 8372 2024;
www.grottadelvento.com
;
Grotta del
Vento 1, Vergemoli; adult/child 1hr guided visit €9/7, 2hr €14/11, 3hr €20/16; 10am-noon &
2-6pm), 9km west of the SS445 along a horribly narrow road. Inside is a world of underground
abysses, lakes and caverns. April to October, choose between a one-, two- or three-hour guided tour -
if you're up to the 800/1200 steps involved in the two-/three-hour tour (!) it's worth it. November to
March, the one-hour tour (300 steps) is the only choice.
Across a Mountain Pass
Spiralling north from Castelnuovo, a concertina of hairpin bends (the SS324) lifts you to
Castiglione
di Garfagnana
and over the scenic
Passo di Radici
mountain pass, across the Apennines, into
Emilia-Romagna. A minor parallel road to the south of the pass takes you to
San Pellegrino in Alpe
(
www.sanpellegrinoinalpe.it
)
, a hilltop village (at 1525m) with a monastery and, in the old hospital, a
Museo Etnografico
(Ethnographic Museum; Via del Voltone 14; adult/reduced €2.50/1.50;
10am-1pm & 2-6.30pm daily Jul & Aug, closed Mon & shorter hr rest of year) that brings traditional
mountain life, scarcely changed for centuries, to life.
Sleeping & Eating
Pradaccio di Sopra
( 05 8366 6966;
www.agriturismopradaccio.it
;
Pieve Fosciana; d €60-78, dinner €23; )
Hugged
by chestnut woods and
farro
fields, this family farm (wheat,
farro
and corn) is an
AGRITURISMO
€
