Saturday
First encounter with the Mountains …
Arrival
Presentation of the local area by the national forest rangers and folklore group.
Sunday
Trekking and nature: woods, meadows and lakes… (Casetta Pulledrari – Montanaro - Orsigna)
9:30am Departure for a day of trekking, among green woods and endless expanses of meadows.
Packed lunch.
4:00pm Arrive in Orsigna to discover, through a relaxing walk, other stages of the processes on which the mountain economy and culture were once based, at Orsigna: a visit to a metato for chestnut drying, a mill for sweet flour production, a charcoal pile for charcoal production and a hostel where charcoal burners would spend the night.
6:00pm Return to hotel
8:00pm Dinner in hotel
Monday
Culture, relaxation and adventure…
9:30am Leave for a visit to the Museo della Gente dell’Appennino Pistoiese, in the town of Rivoreta, clinging to the slopes of Monte Libro Aperto. This unusual museum reveals the old traditions of the mountain population, their lifestyle, habits and crafts. The museum also offers the opportunity to verify through physical and tactile experiences how our perceptive habits have changed in the age of Internet compared to the simpler, more physical experience of our grandparents.
11:00am Continue to Cutigliano to visit this picturesque Medieval village with its exquisite little streets clinging to the mountainside and its old buildings. The Town Hall square is of particular interest, with the Palazzo dei Capitani, decorated with countless coats-of-arms, both in stone and polychrome terracotta, belonging to the captains who were on occasion called to hold the coveted magistrateship.
1:00pm Lunch at a typical local restaurant.
3:00pm Leave for the Parco Avventura at Doganaccia.
An afternoon of fun and relaxation with the activities offered by the park: hanging routes through the trees, of varying difficulty, the longest cableway in Italy (200m), the intoxicating Downhill experience, or – if you’re feeling lazy, sunbathing near the hostel.
6:30pm Return to hotel.
7:30pm Dinner in hotel.
9:00 Visit to the Observatory at Pian dei Termini, one of the leading astronomical observatories for studying minor planets and asteroids.
The visit includes an introductory explanation to enable visitors to observe the sky with more preparation, observation of the stars with the naked eye and from one of the largest telescopes present.
The experience will astonish you.
Tuesday
Free day.
Those wishing to remain in the mountains can enjoy a number of activities, for example:
A day relaxing at the pool (at the hotel or at the public pools at Maresca and Cutigliano)
Recommended activities:
Paragliding
Fishing
Mountain biking
... and the Parco Avventura with the longest cableway in Italy!
Wednesday
Into the impenetrable Orrido di Botri gorge…
8:30 Leave with bus for the Botanical Gardens where the route begins.
9:00 Set off on foot for the massive limestone gorge of Orrido di Botri: a canyon reaching 200m in depth with steep walls, sometimes only a few metres apart, hollowed out by the freezing waters of the Rio Pelago river. The gorge blends into the context of the Apennine landscape with typical rocky areas and extensive beechwoods, overlooked by the peaks of Mt Rondinaio and the Tre Potenze which come close to 2000m in latitude.
Packed lunch during the route.
6:00 Return to hotel.
8:00 Dinner in hotel.
Thursday
The WWF oasis
8:30 Leave for trip to the WWF “Cesto del Lupo” oasis, rich in woods and pastures, at the top of the watershed line between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas. Many species can be found here including roe deer, mouflon, deer, fallow deer, boar. This is an extremely interesting location for nature and animal lovers.
Packed lunch on the lake.
4:00 Meet the bus to return to hotel.
Dinner in hotel
Friday
Along the flagstone path of time…
9:00 Leave for Pracchia,
10:00 At Pracchia station, take the train on the picturesque and historical Porrettana railway.
10:30 Meet the bus at the station which will take you to the beginning of the Pietra route: from Pavana to Sambuca Castello, along the old flagstoned via Francigena, immersed in silence and nature.
10:45 Set off on foot along the via Francigena, to discover the Pietra route through pleasant woodlands.
12:15 Arrive at Sambuca Castello. Packed lunch inside the walls.
1:00 Visit the fortress and church of San Jacopo.
2:00 Leave for Taviano.
2:45 Arrive in Taviano, transfer for Pavana by bus.
3:00 Visit the Savigni farm estate and tasting of typical products.
5:00 Leave for the station.
6:30 Return to hotel
8:00 Dinner in hotel.
Saturday
Departure
Half-Board treatment in 3 Stars Hotel.
Lunches all included, except the free day lunch.
The other services are included.
Bus not included
€ 329
Bus included
Possibile local transfers not included.
€ 384 (groups with 40 pax)
€ 379 (groups with 50 pax)
