Serra Pistoiese

There are many beautiful walks up around the mountains near to Vellano.  Some of these we have chartered before in this blog, but we love to share them with you anyway.  The walk we completed a few weeks ago was from Panicagliora to Serra Pistoiese.  It is a walk that meanders delightfully down through a wooded valley past lovely streams, full from winter rains.  From the valley pathway you can look up to snow covered alps in the distance.  The peaks are still covered with snow at this time of the year, an undisturbed frosting even though the winter has been milder than of late.  In Vellano barely a flake has fallen in these last months, with some sadness on our part as it is a winter wonderland after snow.  Many of the pathways are ancient by-ways and important historical trading routes through the countryside. On this walk there is a little ruined chapel abandoned in the woods on the track between the two mountain villages, a lost remnant from the times of monasteries and pilgrim’s ways over the Apennines.  The early signs of spring are here in abundance; early bright blue crocuses, yellow mimosa blossoms on tall shrubs; lots of fresh green grass among the well-tended Accacia woods.

(more…)