The best cycling routes around Coreglia Antelminelli

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.

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.

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

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

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana - Tea Time Sunday, the locals in the new castle are also enjoying the peace. The apostles Peter and Paul invite us into the shade of their modest prayer house (Parrocchia Abbaziale dei SS. Apostoli Pietro e Paolo). The holy water is bubbling… The tea ceremony is a feast for the eyes when the tea bag changes the water in color and scent. After a short toast we bring comfort to Don Quixote. Seated on his horse Rocinate at Rocca Ariostesca, (old city gate) he continues his battle alone… Wandering further through the empty alleys and streets, students in Teatro Alfieri manage to entertain us with a matinée. Students put their best foot forward while fellow students, with crossed fingers, encourage the main character. Exam passed It was nice to be in the new castle during our tea time. Read more experiences? Click through to https://www.komoot.com/en-gb/collection/2195535/-visit-italy-2023-regio-massa-carrara-lucca

View of the lake from the east side along the provincial road, with the Apuan Alps in the background.

Camporgiano is located on the right bank of the Serchio River, in a verdant valley that divides the mountain ranges of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines. Of Roman origin, the town was contested by numerous families and lordships since the Middle Ages; in 1446 it became part of the dominions of the Este family, until the Unification of Italy. The undisputed “star” of Camporgiano is the Rocca Estense, built on a rocky spur, and whose bulk dominates the main square of the town. At the top of the Rocca there is a sort of hanging garden in which some conifers stand out, giving the fortress an unmistakable character, dialoguing from afar with the fir trees that cover the heights of the surrounding reliefs. The fortress was built for defensive purposes in the 15th century and is an emblematic example of Este military architecture of the 15th century, with its trapezoidal wall and truncated conical corner towers protruding from the plan profile. Once the medieval center of the city, today the fortress does not retain much of its original structure due to the earthquake that struck the entire area in 1920. At the foot of the fortress you can also admire a stone fountain traditionally called the pilon. The main tower of the fortress houses the Civic Collection of Renaissance Ceramics, which brings together ceramics from a period ranging from the early fifteenth century to the second half of the seventeenth century, mostly found in the wells of the fortification during restoration work.

Gramolazzo Lake on a rainy day.