Foce al Lago is where summer festivals are held celebrating ancient pagan rites. It’s the start of the footpaths leading to Prato Fiorito, the traditional haunt of witches Sabbaths, and the Monte Incoronata. Special skills are taught here like walking on fire, (particularly useful if one is walking up a volcano like Bali’s Mount Batur, as we did in 2002).

I posted something about the Prato Fiorito’s primeval rites at:

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/witches-sabbath/

Foce a Lago is also the starting point of a great walk which, following footpath number 12, goes north past Monte Mosca and arrives at the remote rifugio Fontana a Troghi. I first did this path ten years ago when the initially snow-free path started to be covered in snow and, what is worst, ice. I remember having to literally ‘bum down’ certain stretches because it was too slippery if one actually walked – unless, of course, one had crampons.

Mount Mosca divides two of the wildest valleys of the Lucca Apennines: to the east is the Valle della Scesta and further to the west the high Valle della Fegana which also includes the Orrido di Botri canyon.

Footpath 12 first wades through high ferns. Below are views of the Albereta agriturismo which produces some of the best potatoes in Tuscany. The views become ever more spectacular ranging from the village of Montefegatesi to the Apuane Mountains. It’s also possible to see the sea with the islands of the Tuscan archipelago and Corsica in the background.

After a stretch of beautiful beech forest the view opens on the Apennines and the Orrido di Botri. Here the path has a steep drop on one side down to the perilous canyon but is not dangerous.  We were supposed to arrive at the Fontana di Troghi refuge but never made it because of the increasingly treacherous icy conditions.

From the refuge it’s possible to return via a different route joining up with the unmade road descending  down to Campore with its thousand year old chestnut trees and bringing one back to Foce al Lago.

I’d like to do this walk again with rather balmier weather. I came across the following video which proves that age doesn’t matter so long as one keeps in training!

http://www.verdeazzurronotizie.it/trekking-anello-di-montefegatesi-di-sergio-colombini/

Roll on spring I say…