CYCLING AND TREKKING

In the surrounding zones to our structure it is possible to cover many country cycle rides of varying difficulty through the beautiful Tuscan landscape; the areas around the relais are also habitually chosen by professional cyclists for their every day training.

The hills surrounding Vada, are good for those who like cycling.

The tracks are not very uneven and offer wonderful landscapes to remember and to photograph.

THE WINE ROAD ITINERARY

Starting point: Rosignano Marittimo
Arrival point: San Vincenzo
Itinerary length: 160 km
Details: although the number of kilometres is not great, we suggest you should complete this itinerary in 2 or 3 days.

It is also possible to cycle along.

The most suitable part for cycling stretches between Bibbona, Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci.

You leave from Rosignano Marittimo towards Cecina by the hill road through the villages of Castellina Marittima ahd Riparbella.

Once at Cecina, you return to the interior along the panoramic road crossing the mediaeval villages of Montescudaio, Guardistallo and Casale Marittimo.

From Casale go down towards Bibbona (3 km) and take the beautiful Bolgherese Road from which you can see the vineyards both of Ornellaia (between Bibbona and Bolgheri) and Sassicaia (between Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci).

Once at Bolgheri and its majestic cypress avenue, keep going towards Castagneto Carducci (12 km).

There the State Route n. 329 plunges into a thick wood of helm-oaks and chestnuttrees and stretches towards Sassetta (7 km) first and then Suvereto (13.5 km).

This is probably the wildest and most spectacular part of the Wine Road.

From Suvereto you climb up towards Campiglia Marittima (9 km).

There you go down to the southern part of Val di Cornia until you reach Piombino (20 km), which has a beautiful promontory overlooked by the Rocca di Populonia.

The last part unwinds along the coast above the gulf of Baratti and reaches San Vincenzo through Via della Principessa passing near the Natural Park of Rimigliano.

The latter is made up of 350 hectares of beaches, sandy dunes and thick Mediterranean Macchia vegetation.

RISERVA NATURALE BIOGENICA (A NATURAL PARK)

Starting and arrival point: Casa Forestale
Itinerary length: 1.2 km
Height above sea level: 20 m
Time: 1 hour
Details: this track is going to be equipped for disabled people.

Picnic areas

You get to the starting point going along the untarmacked road which from Bibbona cemetery stretches towards Macchia della Magona.

After a first fork (keep left), you arrive at another after 1.3 km.

Turn right and go ahead until you meet a barrier (300 m).

There you can park your car.

Proceed walking along the track, which starts on
your left and quickly reaches Casa della Forestale.

Then take the avenue lined with cypresses.

After about 100 m, take the path climbing up on the right.

Walk along for 500 m in a thick wood among the typical plant species of the Macchia vegetation, such as the pine of Aleppo, the domestic pine and the cypress.

Once at Fonte al Rome in the proximity of an ancient rebuilt charcoal pit, go back to track n. 6, which returns to the starting point (600 m).

CROSSING MAGONA

Starting and arrival point: Bibbona
Itinerary length: 19 km
Height above sea level: 340 m
Time: 2 hours (without any stops)
Details: the entire track takes place on untarmacked roads.

It unfolds in a wonderful typically Tuscan scenery in the first and in the final parts; in the middle it crosses the very heart of the Macchia.

To those who are well-trained we suggest taking the high alternative, slightly more difficult both for the altitude and for a particular part of the track, which is very uneven.

In this case the track is 26 km long and 490 m above sea level.

You leave from the centre of Bibbona towards the cemetery. There the road immediately becomes untarmacked. After about 1 km, you find a fork. Keeping left, you start climbing gently up through the Macchia and then you arrive at a junction. On the left, the barrier you see is the starting point of track n. 5.
  
The path climbs gently up in the middle at first of cypresses and then of holm-oaks and turkey oaks, steepening in the final part before it reaches (3.4 km) Passo del Terminino (281 m). There it goes right and leads to track n. 10, which keeps climbing gradually up for 1.7 km up to Poggio al Fango (340 m). Here there are two possible alternatives to reach the valley of botro Campo di Sasso.

1) The usual road (track n. 12). The panoramic road keeps the same altitude for 3 km until the fork on the right where itinerary n. 13 starts.

2) The high itinerary. Go along track n. 10 (left-hand fork), which climbs up across panoramic spots to Campo di Bibbona, a place characterised by a spring known as Fonte del Ciliegio.

After Poggio il Morticino (visible on your right), you get to Passo delle Golazze Aperte (475 m) where you leave the road to take itinerary n. 16 on your right (it isnot always possible to cycle along).

After 200 m, it comes out in the most spectacular panoramic spot of the whole track: the view extends over the entire Macchia up to the coastline. Once at Tre Confini you proceed on the right. You cannot cycle along for 1 km because of big stones and a furrow dug by the rain, but you can walk easily.

After this difficult part you can ride your bike again until the fork called Bivio dell'lmmaginetta. There on the right you take the path of track n. 12. You keep at the same altitude for 800 m up to an easy ford and after 200 m on the left, go ahead until the junction with itinerary n. 13.

You cannot cycle along the first part (400 m), but then the path changes into a beautiful and wide road lined with a double row of cypresses sloping down along the stream botro di Campo di Sasso.
Once at Casetta (3.5 km), you come out of the Macchia vegetation in the proximity of the beautiful farmhouse Campo di Sasso.

The path keeps sloping down passing through Poggio Cornetto up to the bridge over the stream Botro degli Strinati (60 m), then it goes up again to a fork (turn left) and then to the village of Bibbona.

Short alternative itinerary (9 km long; 120 m above sea level): go along the above described itinerary until the barrier mentioned for track n. 5 (2,6 km). There you turn right going along track n. 6. After 300 m, you proceed along itinerary n. 9 up to Casetta (2.3 km) at Campo di Sasso. You go back along the same track described above.