Lunigiana Gravel | Visit Tuscany

A great loop to discover the many faces of the area, in a wild and never dull atmosphere.

Lunigiana Gravel

by Lunigiana /en/authors/lunigiana-ambito-turistico/

Gravel bike 210 Km

Technical difficulty

Medium

Physical engagement

Challenging

The Lunigiana Gravel is a multi-stage itinerary you can tackle in bikepacking style riding Gravel or E-Gravel bicycles, which runs in a circular mode (clockwise) throughout the Lunigiana region.
The proposed trail starts from Pontremoli. Alternatively, another convenient access option could be Aulla; both towns are in fact easily accessible from the A15 highway or by train via the Parma-La Spezia line. This itinerary is circular and everyone will be able to start wherever they prefer.

The Lunigiana Gravel is a great loop, sober and genuine, but also wild and never dull. In its 210 kilometers it will take us past medieval villages, castles, streams to dive into, thermal pools, rock tunnels, ridges and endless views.
An itinerary whose appearance, vegetation and accent change prodoundly every 30 kilometers, so much so that it can be divided into 3 distinct parts; the one to the Northeast is made up of ancient streets and agile roads that will allow us to connect the most beautiful medieval villages in the area; the one to the South, tougher and more rugged, where trained legs will be needed to overcome the exciting ups and downs through the severe peaks of the Apuan Alps; and the one further West where we will climb in altitude until we reach the gentle ridge of the Ligurian Apennines with its Alta Via, in a solitary and wild environment but which will reassure us with its airy views from the hinterland to the sea.

There are no portage stretches (meaning bikes on our shoulders) but only a few short stretches that may force you to push the bike by hand for no more than 50 meters.
However, it is important to point out that in Lunigiana the unpaved roads become dirt roads at times even rough and the rolling hills become mountains, so a fitting with tubless tires and a generous section, from 40" upwards, as well as agile ratios is recommended. There are no trail markers on the route, so it is necessary to download the GPX track.

Leg 1

A few proposals for the stages

Two-Day Trail:

Pontremoli-Fosdinovo: 120 kilometers x 3250 difference in altitude
Fosdinovo-Pontremoli: 90 kilometers x 2000 difference in altitude

Three-Day Trail:

Pontremoli-Fivizzano: 70 kilometers x 1650 difference in altitude
Fivizzano-Aulla: 75 kilometers x 2000 difference in altitude
Aulla-Pontremoli: 65 kilometers x 1600 difference in altitude

Four-Day Trail:

Pontremoli-Pontebosio: 50 kilometers x 1160 difference in altitude
Pontebosio-Equi Terme: 50 kilometers x 1300 difference in altitude
Equi Terme-Podenzana: 56 kilometers x 1560 difference in altitude
Podenzana-Pontremoli: 54 kilometers x 1230 difference in altitude

More information

Visit the website:

https://lunigianabikearea.com/

Physical engagement:

Challenging

Technical difficulty:

Medium

Uphill elevation gain:

5250 m

Downhill elevation gain:

5250 m

Maximum altitude:

1090

% Gravel surface:

% Paved surface:

Recommended period:

April, May, June, July, August, September, October

Locations:

Aulla

How to get there by public transportation:

Train + bike: the F.S. Stations of Pontremoli, Aulla, Equi Terme and Monzone are daily connected by Regional Trains with bike transport service. Thanks to this service, you can interrupt the stages at your leisure and return by train to the starting point.

How to get there by car:

Pontremoli and Aulla can both be reached by the A15 highway.

For more information on this itinerary visit the webpage at the following link:

https://www.visittuscany.it/en/itineraries-bike/lunigiana-gravel/

GPX track

Download the GPX of the entire itinerary

https://cms.visittuscany.com/export/shared/make/documenti/lunigiana-gravel_us1.gpx

Disclaimer

The bike routes posted on this site were plotted by the authors indicated in the data sheet for each route. The routes for the most part are not bike lanes on their own or protected lanes but are mostly driveways, dirt roads, or trails. The authors who post the routes on the site declare under their own responsibility that the bikeability and safety of the trails are within the norm of bicycle touring routes and that no private property is normally crossed without the approval of the owners.
Users who download GPS tracks or maps take note that the routes travel along roads open to vehicular traffic, where the Highway Code and normal rules of prudence and common sense must be respected. Fondazione Sistema Toscana and Toscana Promozione Turistica do not guarantee the regularity of the routes but merely highlight them in the software platform for possible usefulness. Therefore, they do not assume any responsibility to individuals or legal entities for losses, damages, injuries, claims, liabilities or causes of any other kind or nature related to or arising from these routes.

CONDITIONS OF USE: The proposed route has the only purpose of suggesting an idea to bikepacking enthusiasts. The information and the gpx track (which can be downloaded for free) have the sole purpose of giving generic indications of the places that will be passed by, the facilities located on the route, the type of ground, the altimetry and the length of the itinerary, so as to allow each potential user to evaluate, according to one’s own experience and physical/technical ability, whether or not to tackle the Trail. Therefore, whoever decides to walk it, takes all the risks and responsibilities of the activity performed, also considering that the accessibility and condition of the roads and trails change over time. Before each stage, check weather conditions and road conditions, also asking local residents, respect road signs and rules on the use of public and private land, take with you the right clothing and appropriate safety and navigation equipment.