From Valle Benedetta, take Via della Sambuca. Follow the road, which becomes unpaved and, after an initial uphill stretch, turn left at the fork, where you can see the ruins of a windmill on the hill to the left.
After about half an hour, you come out of the woods into a panoramic area. Shortly after, on the right, we come to the ruins (a pile of stones) of an old farmstead in a panoramic position at Calvario.
From here, continue downhill, with a large, solitary pine tree as a reference point. From the pine tree, continue along the ridge – since there are no signs, follow the hunters’ tracks at first, then, following the faint traces, head for the valley floor, keeping slightly to the left of the ridge. This section of the itinerary requires more attention for orientation and progress through thick vegetation. At the bottom of the descent, after about 10-15 minutes, you will come across an easily visible path with a T-junction: turn right until you reach a simple ford over the stream. Soon, you will reach a wooden hut, not far from a stone farmstead. From now on, follow the visible cart track until you come to an opening that emerges from the scrub: go left downhill and, at the next fork, keep right, going down, through the thick vegetation, to an old mill. After crossing the stream, we turn immediately right (C.A.I. white-red paint), skirting the mill structure on our left.
The itinerary continues up the valley, along the stone structure of the Colognole aqueduct, to an unpaved road, where you turn left to reach the paved road for Collesalvetti (which you do not cross). On the right, you can clearly see the traces of a cart track going uphill, which arrives at a fork where you go right, and continue as far as Casa Pianone. Go along the cypress-lined path and, when you reach the gate of the house, turn left and follow the fence, until you come to a mule track which, passing through dense vegetation (the last stretch follows the electric cable poles), joins the unpaved road already taken at the beginning of the itinerary, closing the loop and returning to Valle Benedetta.
STARTING AND ARRIVAL POINT: VALLE BENEDETTA
DISTANCE: 7 KM DURATION: 3 HOURS AND A HALF
TYPE OF ROUTE: CART TRACKS AND PATHS
DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT: 340 METERS DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM – EASY
