Across Appennino Tosco-Emiliano
- Difficulty Level: E+ - Hiking (level)+
- Recommended Period: from June to October
Zona del Parco: Traverses
Traverse developing along the ridge of Appennino Tosco-Emiliano from Mt. Prado to Mt. Orsaro, in the Provinces of Lucca, Reggio, Massa Carrara, and Parma.
The itinerary leaves from Garfagnana and Orecchiella Park and climbs to Mt. Prado, the highest mountain of Tuscany and the second highest mountain of the Park. Then it continues along the GEA route (Grande Escursione Appenninica) across Pradarena Pass and Cerreto Pass, in the heart of Alpe di Succiso group, up to the lakes of Upper Appennino parmense and then down to Cisa Pass, the medieval Mt. Bardone along Via Francigena between Berceto and Pontremoli.
It is always possible to spend the night in mountain huts or hotels-mountain huts, and sometimes it is possible to split up the laps in two days. The departure point and an intermediate point (Cerreto Pass) offer hotels and hostels and are served by public means of transport also on holidays (bus or train). The arrival point requires a further day along Via Francigena to reach the public means of transport from Berceto (bus) or from Pontremoli (train).
The recommended period goes from June to October, but the mountain huts are usually open from late June to mid-September. CAI Battisti and Sarzana Mountain Huts offer a small bivouac which is always open, while along the way there are also the bivouacs Rosario and Schiaffino, and a hotel-mountain hut at Pradarena Pass. Along the alternative route to Bismantova you will find the bivouac S. Maria Maddalena, while the reference hostels and hotels are always open by previous booking.
