Il giro del Battisti dall'Orecchiella

Leaving the car at the Orecchiella Park Visitor Center, we reach the asphalt road in a few meters, turn right towards the "Fontanone" and continue along the main forest road until we reach the Sella di Campaiana, where the ascent ends (100 meters after the beginning of the descent, the start of CAI path 62 is marked on the right that leads to the summit of Pania di Corfino in about 30 minutes).

After 2 kilometers downhill we arrive at the ancient pasture of Campaiana and after another 10 kilometers we reach the Foce di Terrarossa. We turn left toward Casone di Profecchia, a well-known tourist resort, where we make a short rest stop. After a few hundred meters we take a dirt road on the left that climbs decisively into a beech forest.

After about 3 kilometers, in the vicinity of Passo delle Forbici (m. 1578) where there is a small chapel (Chiesina delle Forbici - a place of Pascoliane memories), the road flattens out; here we take the small road on the left (CAI 681) closed by a bar that begins to descend at a time of the large coniferous forest of the Abetina reale. In a short time (3, 5 kilometers) we arrive at the "Segheria" Refuge where the ascent begins on a nice dirt road (follow the signs for the Battisti Refuge). After about 4.5 kilometers of constant ascent we reach the high altitude grasslands of Lama Lite (m. 1749), located between Mount Prado (with its 2054 meters it is the highest peak in Tuscany) and Mount Cusna (2121 m.).

We reach Rifugio Battisti in a few minutes (the business card reads: Qui il silenzio dell'aurora dura tutto il dì, piacciati di ristare in questo loco) for a sandwich and, after filling our canteens at the spring, we return to Lama Lite to continue along the midslope road reaching Rifugio Bargetana where we leave the dirt road and enter CAI path 633which, in a little more than 3 kilometers, leads us to Passo Focerella (in this stretch in some places it is necessary to lead the bike by hand because of large stones on the path).

Arriving at Passo Focerella, where we intercept the CAI 00 trail, we begin the descent along the CAI 72 trail back into Garfagnana. The descent to Rifugio "La Foce" (m. 1596) is very beautiful and enjoyable but requires attention. At this point, instead of continuing along the easy cartroad to Metello, we take Airone 3 trail that takes us, in about 7 kilometers, to Casini di Corte, a village between Sillano and Orecchiella. We continue by paved road to the starting point.

Departure and arrival point: Visitor Center - Orecchiella Park (San Romano di Garfagnana)

Length: 50 km approx.

Height difference: 1,500 m approx.

Maximum altitude reached: 1,749 m asl (Lama Lite Pass)

Road type: asphalt 6 Km (11%); dirt 34 Km (64%), trails 13 Km 25%).

Difficulty: challenging

Route interest: naturalistic-landscape

Recommended period: late May - late autumn.

Support points: Rifugio Segheria (tel. 0522 807321), Rifugio Cesare Battisti (tel. 0522 897497 Cell. 3381000850 - www.rifugio-battisti.it), Rifugio Bargetana (tel. 0522 627756 - www.rifugiobargetana.it), Rifugio La Foce (cell. 340 2333806), Ristoro Il Fungo(www.campaiana.it)