NIGEL'S RAMBLES: July 2016

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Abetone to Passo di croce Arcana. The story of a hard slog.

The object of this hike was to close one of the last big holes in my bit by bit hikes to walk along the 00 footpath that runs along the crest of the Tosco Emilian Apennines.

I started out at a good hour from Abetone in the province of Pistoia to avoid the summer heat as I climbed up on to the crest. In a couple of hours I was up at Libro Aperto ( Open Book) where the real hike would begin.

Monte Maiore. Abetone PT

Sella delle Mote, Abetone, PT

Looking down on Abetone, PT

From Libro Aperto the path drops sharply downwards to the tortured crest that stretches into the distance. This I have to say is one of the most gruelling stretches of “Crinale” that I have come across with its constant ups and downs along a very exposed footpath for much of the way.

Cervinara from Libro Aperto

Cervinara

Then comes the “interesting” stretch of footpath just before “Cima Tauffi”. I could see a shear slab of rock in the distance and I wondered how the footpath went around this obstacle. I was wrong the footpath went up and over it with a bit of rock-climbing thrown in which would be fine if not for the fact that a mistake would mean a quick decent down into Tuscany.

Coming up to Cima Tauffi

Interesting bit of footpath near Cima Tauffi

After this the going then became much easier as I descended down to the pass called “Colle dell Aqua Marcia” (Hill of the rotten water), but there were still an hours’ worth of big bumps before I finally arrived at destination at “Passo di Croce Acana” with its memorial to the Alpini (Italy’s elite mountain troops). Strangely one of the two artillery pieces is a British WWII 25 pounder. Here a dirt road passes over the mountains from Tuscany to Emilia. It had great importance during the Middle Ages.

Looking down on Colle delle Aqua Marchia

Passo di Croce Arcana, PT/MO

It had taken me six hours of hard walking to arrive here, so I decided to take a long rest before turning back to retrace my steps. Going the other way was even tougher than the outward walk as I had to face a series of almost vertical climbs. The good thing was that the weather had improved a bit as the heavy heat haze had dissolved somewhat. Most of the pictures I took were taken on the return trip.

Libero Aperto

By the time I got back down to Sella delle Motte it was starting to get dark so I decided to take the longer forest road back down to Abetone stopping at the spring to guzzle down a couple of litres of fresh cold water as I had underestimated the amount of water to carry with me. I was back to the car at 9.30. If I leave out the two-hour lunch break I had been on the move for twelve hours, which I think is a personal record.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Climbing the Cavalbianco

We have been having cloudless weather of late so for my Sunday afternoon walk I decided to climb up one of my favourite footpaths to the top of Monte Cavalbianco.

It was hot so I went light with just my little LX100 camera that I bought to use for my work but is becoming my camera of choice for hiking on hot days ( less camera weight = more water).
The view from the top was very nice with the Alpi Apuane to the south and the faint shape of the Alps across the Po valley to the north.

Monte Cavalbianco, RE

Friday, July 15, 2016

Mirrors Windows and Doors. Return to the Palazzo Ducale, Sassoulo

Last Sunday I decided to return to the Palazzo Ducal hidden away in the rather grimy industrial town of Sassoulo near Modena.

This palace was the duke of Modena’s summer residence and is slowly being brought back to something of its former glory.

Palazzo Ducale di Sassuolo, MO

The reason for my return was that they have opened up some new rooms in the palace, but I was quite disappointed to see that they all had just plain white walls, so nothing new to see. But they have filled these rooms with works of art that were languishing in the stores of the “Palazzo Ducale” in Modena.