Hiking

The trail starts near the town hall, where Via di Gragnano meets Via Ventavoli and Via Maneto.  Taking the latter, we begin to climb in a residential area. The street becomes a dirt road and turns left at the verge between the woods and olive groves.

On the right, we can see an old loading facility used for the quarries above. A bit after, we must pay attention, as we leave this road and go up to the right on an almost parallel trail. While Trail no. 32A appears on the left, our trail continues to the right, becoming a dirt road that soon reaches the Cava Grande, or large quarry, with its imposing terraced wall. On the right, we have a view of the town and the plain with the marshes. At the old electrical substation, we bear first to the left as we approach the quarry, then to the right going down to a large work-yard. On the southern side of this open area, we find a narrow road that goes back into the woods and, going slightly uphill, we reach Cava Grigia, which is used for rock-climbing.

The dirt road continues slightly downhill past the entrance to Cava Rossa (closed by a gate) and joins Trail no. 30 from Grotta Giusti. Continue straight along this uphill trail (also known in this section as the Geological Trail) with a view of Grotta Giusti’s swimming pool and spa facilities. Turning north, it enters the forest in which we can see some remains of the quarry works.

We leave the forest, passing through an olive grove. Taking a dirt road lined with cypress trees, we head towards the ruins of a farmhouse after which we arrive in front of a tabernacle near Podere alla Vergine at the ridge. We follow the paved road (Via Castello di Monsummano), which leads to Monsummano Alto, on the left for about 200 meters. We then leave it at the second trail on the left to go uphill through a fairly dense forest. Upon leaving it, we can see the remains of Castello di Monsummano’s walls and the well-preserved arch of Porta del Pidocchio (or del Mercato). From here, we can enjoy the beautiful panorama of the plain, the Montalbano ridge, and especially the village of Montevettolini.

We pass through the gate and, with one last push, reach the first buildings in Monsummano Alto. We skirt the Church of San Nicolao (first half of the 12^th century) and continue straight ahead among the remains of the 12^th-13^th century defensive structures. Upon reaching the northwestern end of the castle, there is a formidable pentagonal tower and the gate of Nostra Domina, with its expansive view of Montecatini Terme, the Pisan mountains, and the Apuan Alps.

Right in front of the gate, we take a dirt road that goes down among low vegetation bordering an abandoned house (Casa Pellegrini). Continuing the descent, we come to the northern side of the large quarry. After finding the entrance gate to a house on our left, the dirt road becomes wider. At the end of the descent, we turn to the right onto another dirt road (Via Croce di Pacino) with the town of Serravalle Pistoiese in view. The road becomes paved and shortly after crosses another wider road (Via Monsummano Castello) which we follow to the left.

Along the descent, the junction to trail no. 32A is found on the left. This is a shortcut for returning to the village center. However, Trail no. 32 continues straight until it comes to a roundabout at the edge of the town of Monsummano. Here, we take Via di Gragnano to the left. After passing Villa Renatico Martini (seat of the Museum of Contemporary Art), we again arrive at the town hall where we began our hike.