Sui sentieri del Moro

An exhilarating ride through the Apennines in the heart of the most authentic Garfagnana, starting from the picturesque village of Sillico. The route begins with a long, steady climb, characterized by a consistently manageable gradient that allows you to ascend without excessive strain. During the ascent, you’ll pass through the Lame di Capraia, a place whose name derives from the geographical term “lama,” historically used to describe depressions, landslide-prone valleys, marshy plateaus, or areas of standing water typical of Apennine terrain.

Continuing uphill, you reach the ridge until you meet CAI Trail 00, which you follow toward Alpe del Pellegrino. This section of the ridge is almost entirely rideable, with the exception of a short stretch of about fifty meters where you’ll need to push your mountain bike. Once at the summit, a stop on the open ridge is a must: from here, you can enjoy a fantastic 360-degree panorama that takes in the Pietra di Bismantova, Monte Cimone, the Libro Aperto, Monte Gomito, the Cima dell’Omo, and the entire Apuan Alps range.

Resuming the ride toward the Giro del Diavolo, take the downhill trail leading to the village of San Pellegrino in Alpe. From here, follow the dirt road toward the Burigone Mountain Hut, the perfect spot to refill your water bottles. The route continues along a forest road nestled among beautiful beech forests ablaze with warm autumn colors, until it joins the actual descent trail: CAI 546, which has recently been restored and turned out to be a wonderful discovery. The descent is very varied and features an initial guided and technical section, a central “flow” stretch interspersed with a few rocky sections, and a final stretch characterized by the cobblestones of an ancient mule trail.

Once you reach the vicinity of the Capraia Hermitage, now nearing the end of the ride, it’s important to pay close attention to your route. Instead of leaving the main trail to venture onto alternative paths that seem more enticing on the map but are difficult to ride, the best choice is to follow Trail No. 4, marked with white and light blue trail markers. This route passes through Colle Campaccio and leads smoothly back to the village of Sillico. Overall, it’s a fantastic loop—entirely bike-friendly—full of picturesque views and featuring a fun descent through truly remote corners of the Apennines.