| Spas,
sport and leisure activities Equi
Terme: the spa
Health-giving waters
There are two spas in the province of Massa-Car-rara: Equi
Terme, on the northern slopes of the Apuan Alps, and San
Carlo. In the Garfagnana, easily reached from Lucca, there
is the important spa of Bagni di Lucca. Equi Terme is a typical
medieval village in a splendid setting dominated by the Pizzo
d'Uccello. It's renowned for the springs, already well-known
in Roman times, from which water, particularly suitable for
the treatment of a number of disorders of an inflammatory
nature, flows at a constant temperature of 27°C. San
Carlo, just outside Massa, is, on the other hand, a spa noted
for its bottled water, with a building providing mineral
water treatment located in a large park. It's also the ideal
starting-point for trips to the marble quarries of Colonnata,Fantiscritti
and Ravaccione. Moving over to the Garfagnana, Bagni di Lucca
is a well-known spa and holiday resort in the hills north
of Lucca. Its waters are used, above all, to treat disorders
of the digestive tract and liver.
Walking in a white land
In addition to the innumerable opportunities for traditional
climbing, the Apuan Alps offer mountaineers interesting vie
ferrate (steep stretches with fixed cables, ladders, etc.)
and suitably equipped rock faces for those in need of practice.
An extensive network of marked paths and numerous refuges
allow walkers to explore these fascinating mountains: the
classic traverse of the range takes four days, from Vmca
or Equi Terme to Stazzema, staying overnight in the refuges
of the Club Alpino Italiano. The Apuan Alps are also a paradise
for speleologists and nature lovers. The Antro del Corchia
(70 kilometres of caves with a difference in level of 1210
metres) is the largest of the 1,300 caves in the Parco Regionale
delle Alpi Apuane, as well as being the biggest in Italy
and one of the most important in the world. The Buca di Equi
is a series of caves open to the public: it's noted for the
discovery of artefacts of the Lower Palaeolithic and remains
of numerous animals, including a cave-bear, a lion, a leopard,
a white Alpine hare and a deer. The Pietro Pellegrini botanical
garden at Pian della Fioba has a range of the rich flora
of the Apuan Alps, may be visited in a brief tour lasting
about an hour. The best period to see the flowers in bloom
is the height of the summer; the garden is open from mid-May
to mid-September. Guided tours, led by students of the Tuscan
universities, are free.
route across the Apuan Alps: Vandelli
abbot, mathematician and engineer
An interesting route across the Apuan Alps is the Via Vandelli,
a historic road designed by the abbot Domenico Vandelli and
built from 1738 to 1751 between Modena and Massa. The duke
of Modena, Francesco III d'Este, wanted a safe road passing
through his lands and those of the Cybo Malaspina, lords
of Massa, with whom he had formed a marriage alliance. The
Passo delia Tambura (1634 m), blocked by snow for many months
of the year, was fatal for the success of the road. But,
although it was never viable as a trade route, it has now
had a new lease of life as a path for walkers. Recent restoration
of the dry-stone structures means that it can be covered,
in a hard day's walk, from Resceto (on the Massa side) to
Arnetola (on the Garfagnana side).
The Via Vandelli, Unking Modena to Massa.
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