The best gravel rides around Lake Gramolazzo

Just a few steps through the cobbled alleys and sandstone houses are enough to understand that San Romano has a story to tell. The Ligures Apuani lived here first, then the Romans; and when the ancient Gherardinghi and Conti di Bacciano families abandoned the village, the town had its moment of pride, giving itself its own statutes before passing under Lucca and the Este family. The heart of the settlement beats around the church of San Romano Martire, where the saint is carved in wood in Roman legionary attire, topped by an imposing 18th-century organ. A few meters away opens the elegant Palazzo Pelliccioni-Marazzini, with its scenic arched terraces: today it houses the Archaeological Museum of the territory, with artifacts ranging from the Neolithic period to findings from the Fortezza delle Verrucole.

Surrounded by centuries-old chestnut groves and spelt fields, Orzaglia retains its peasant vocation intact. The village is known in Garfagnana for the "tiro della forma", a traditional challenge involving throwing wheels of cheese for distance.

The small hamlet of Orzaglia, nestled on a plateau just outside the classic routes of Garfagnana, is surrounded by ancient chestnut groves and fields of spelt. Walking through these woods, you will encounter gnarled and imposing tree trunks, plants that have watched over the valley for hundreds of years and tell the story of those who cared for them generation after generation. For Garfagnana, the chestnut was never just a tree. For centuries, it was "the bread tree": its chestnuts, dried in metati (drying rooms) and ground in water mills, yielded neccio flour — today a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) — that fed entire mountain communities during the hardest times. Masters of grafting and pruning, the people of Garfagnana have preserved dozens of different varieties over time, transforming these slopes into a true living safe of biodiversity.

The lake of Gramolazzo is a lake in the Apuan Alps located near the homonymous village in the municipality of Minucciano. Of artificial origin, it was created in the second half of the 1900s, together with the lake of Vagli by SELT Valdarno for the hydroelectric use of the Serchio river and its tributaries. The lake, which has a surface area of one square kilometer and a volume of 3.8 million cubic meters, has both the Serchio di Gramolazzo as its inflow and outflow, one of the two branches that, joining near Piazza al Serchio, form the Tuscan river. Another important stream that flows into the lake is the Acqua Bianca stream, which coming from Mount Pisanino crosses the village of Gorfigliano. A large part of the water, however, is fed through a channel on the left bank, near the dam, which with a maximum flow rate of 20 cubic meters per second discharges the waters captured from the Serchio into the Sillano valley. The waters of the lake of Gramolazzo feed the Fabbriche power plant which in turn discharges them into the lake of Vagli.

A must-see with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, all immersed in lush greenery.

The place is cool and quiet during the week. Canoe rentals are available for lake excursions.

The beautiful landscape of Garfagnana and the mountains of the Mid-Serchio Valley offer a historical balance between nature and man and have been a magnet for people seeking spiritual growth for centuries. Are you looking for a mystical place to explore, walking through the woods or visiting small villages? Then the area around Monte Argegna will not disappoint you.

Beautiful, little water when we passed, but very suggestive.