Mountain bike ride along the Montalbano Ridge

A loop route that passes through perfect places to admire the beauty of Montalbano‘s nature. We start from the town of Casalguidi, riding along the Montalbano provincial road toward Cantagrillo, passing by the sports area named after the former head coach of the Italian national cycling team, Franco Ballerini, who passed away prematurely in 2010.

Once in Ponte Stella, we cross the entire industrial area and enter the countryside of Serravalle Pistoiese. We will pass a monument dedicated to the memory of Silvano Fedi and his companions Giuseppe Giulietti and Brunello Biagini, at the site where Fedi and Giulietti were killed in a Nazi ambush on July 29, 1944. Silvano Fedi is considered a martyr of the anti-fascist struggle, and his contribution to the partisan war is regarded as highly significant for the liberation of Pistoia.

After one kilometre, we take a dirt road that leads us to the hill of Vinacciano, a small characteristic village, then continue toward Le Ville, passing the quarries of Serravalle. Shortly after, we reach the ridge, where, on the right, we can see the Padule di Fucecchio, the profile of Monsummano Alto, and the Pistoia plain.

Continuing along the ridge, we arrive at the Belvedere Cross, a place of pilgrimage. From there, we descend toward the locality of I Papi and, after some ups and downs, we find ourselves in a beech forest, in the area of Casalvento. Here, we take a short loop among local farmhouses, before enjoying a spectacular downhill ride through the woods that takes us back to Casalguidi.

Click here to download the route

Itinerary curated by Simone Querci