At last I found a
day to do my first serious walk in the Apennines. I chose to repeat a 6 hour
walk centred around the Pania di Corfino in the Garfagnana area of Tuscany.
Starting from the
Orecchiella Park I followed the valley above Rifugio Isera turning into Valle
Bastardino to arrive at the Sella di Campaiana. From here it takes about 20 minutes
to arrive at the summit of the Pania.
Even though there
was still snow on the ground on the north facing slopes , it was a really warm
day for this time of year.
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| Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Last snow in the Bastardino, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Towards monte Cella, Orecchiella,LU |
After stopping for
something to eat on the summit, it was
time to descend down to La Bandita with its marble monument in the middle of nowhere. Here the footpath disappears , so the
monument is a handy point to aim for.
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| Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| From the Summit, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| From the summit, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Down to the Bandita, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Down to the Bandita, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Down to the Bandita, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| La Bandita, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| La Bandita, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
It was time to
return to the car. I took the old Mule path
that descends across the front of the
Pania.
This was an
important path once, one can still see the cobblestones that made up the Mulattiero.
The path ends at
Pruno with its restored thatched buildings.
These are similar to the Celtic constructions I have seen below Monte
Cimone in the Province of Modena.
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| Mulattiero, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Mulattiero, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Mulattiero, Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Scree slope below the Pania di Corfino,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Thatched sheppards huts, Pruno,Orecchiella,LU |
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| Thatched sheppards huts, Pruno,Orecchiella,LU |
I decided to take
the road for the last leg of my walk. I stopped at Salera a small hamlet along
the road. The sea of crocuses in the fields
were spectacular. The last couple of kilometres were not so
enjoyable, uphill all the way back to
the Park.
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| Sulcina, Orecchiella,LU |
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| Sulcina, Orecchiella,LU |
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| Sulcina, Orecchiella,LU |
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| Sulcina, Orecchiella,LU |
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| Crocuses, Orecchiella,LU |
