|  The
itineraries on the Apuan Alps
A visit to the marble basins is a must: you meet a patrimony
which, according to some written documents concerning Carrara,
amounts to sixty thousand million cubic metres of marble.
The three big giants standing out behind the town are Ravaccione,
Fantiscritti and Colonnata basins.
You get to the first taking the road which leads from Carrara
to Campocecina. You follow the road signs to Torano and
from here take the road to the first groups of quarries
of the Apuan Alps: Lorano, il Polvaccio (approx. 450 mts.
a.s.l.) Crestola, Bettogli, Zampone, Torrione, Boscaccio,
Valpulpito, Battaglino. The second trip leads to Fantiscritti,
630 mts. a.s.l., which owes its name to the famous shrine
dating back to the third century A. C. and representing
Hercules, Jove and Dionysus. It was taken from the top of
the quarry in June 1863 and is now preserved in the academy
of the fine arts in Carrara. To get to the field you take
the road to Miseglia which runs through the Vara's bridges.
You meet on the way the quarries of Verdichiara, Scaloni,
Strinato, Canalgrande. A little eastwards there is an ancient
quarry, one of the many "Roman cutting" which
can be found in the apuan Alps and which witness the marble
activity recalling to Luni's trades. The basin of Colonnata
opens even more eastwards at a high of 500 mts a.s.l.. This
group of quarries dominates the homonymous mountain hamlet,
which can be reached through Codena and Bedizzano. Here
they are, the marble basins: Fossacava, Gioia, Tarnone,
Belgia, Campanili, Venedreta, La Piastra, Fontana, Canaloni.
1-Carrara-Colonnata-Vergheto
A meandering road leads to Colonnata(8,5 km from Carrara).
From its little square the road winds up, through woods
and marble fields, to Vergheto, a village which was once
inhabited by quarrymen, but has been now abandoned. From
here you can enjoy a very suggestive panorama of the surrounding
mountains and of Massa's marble basins. From Vergheto you
can get to Pisa shelter (1000 mts)
2-Carrara-Piastra-Campocecina
From Carrara to Torano and Ravaccione you get to La Piastra.
From here a path leads to Campocecina (1320 mts. a.s.l.).
For this mountain walk, which will take approx. 2 hours,
one needs to be used to walking.
3-Carrara-Campocecina-Foce di Giovo
From Campocecina a mountain road, crossing villages like
Gragnana and Castelpoggio, climbs up to the CAI shelter.
Many paths branch off from the shelter, leading to the quarries
of Mount Sagro (1743 mts), to Foce di Vinca (1333 mts),
to the Garnerone shelter, also owned by CAI, to Foce di
Giovo and so on..
4-Carrara-Vinca- Equi Terme
Following the same road to Campocecina, you get to the Majestic
junction, where the Spolverina road leads to Vinca (808
mts). From Vinca's village, Monzone, which is renowned for
its bakeries and its bread, many paths branch off. They
lead to Foce di Giovo, and Val Serenaia and they cross the
Mount Pizzo d'Uccello northwards and the Mount Grondilice
southwards. From Vinca going back by car to Monzone and
taking a road on the right, you can reach Equi Terme.
 Equi
Terme (spa)
Set in the Parco delle Apuane in the
region of Massa Carrara is Equi Terme, a charming spa centre
and ideal holiday place. The healty climate and the untouched
beauty of the surrounding area, offer the guest total immersion
in nature, sport, and art in the fomous castles of Lunigiana.
Situated in the north of the Apuan Alps, the small town
of Equi Terme famous for the discovery of Palaeolithic findings
is also famous for its sulphurous mineral spring waters
of exceptional medicinal properties, the existence of which
was already known in ancient times. The main illnesses recommended
to the cures are: respiratory apparaturs problems and those
of the ears-nose and throat; skin diseases and allergies;
rheumatic diseases and diseases of the joints.
There are also spring waters at Montelungo (Pontremoli)
with remarkable therapeutic properties for gout and kidney
diseases. more
informations about it
|
