HomeItinerari The ruins of Badia di San Michele alle formiche
The ruins of Badia di San Michele alle formiche
This itinerary, that combines attractive scenery with the archaeological ruins of an ancient hermitage, starts just outside the village of Montecerboli
Altre immagini
Località di partenza:
Regione Toscana, Provincia di Pisa, Pomarance, Frazione Montecerboli
This itinerary, that combines attractive scenery with the
archaeological ruins of an ancient hermitage, starts just outside the
village of Montecerboli, 100 meters after the signpost to the
belvedere, in a northerly direction. Here we continue along an asphalt
road following the signs for S. Ippolito, climbing slightly and with
the Pomarance valley below to our right. We continue without taking any
turning until we arrive at a detour marked with signs for geothermal
wells: we go straight on, in the direction of wells 122 and 164. Just
after leaving the detour we keep to the right, walking along a dirt
road that climbs slightly. We pass a villa on our right and come out
again on a small asphalt road with clear signs to the hermitage of San
Michele alle formiche. We continue along this descent until we see, on
our right, the tower of Gabbro power station. The scenery has gentle
hills full of olive groves and, after passing a farm, we can admire the
crag towards which we are walking, with the ruins of the hermitage on
its peak. We climb up and down until we approach the farm of le
Vignacce which we pass, keeping it to our left. We now arrive at a
crossroads, where the only road up points us to the road we must take
to reach the abbey. Just after taking the path we come out onto a
parapet where, continuing to climb, we can stop to rest near an area
equipped with picnic tables and benches. There is also a small cypress
tree marked in red indicating the direction to take to reach the
summit. The path now climbs steeply, but it is not too demanding and
soon brings us to the ruins. The hermitage, which was built in the XIV
century, enjoyed a certain notoriety in the past, partly due to the
popular spa of Bagni () di San Michele, down in the valley. In the XIX
century the abbey fell into ruins with only one hermit remaining to act
as custodian. We can still see some of the ruins of the building, which
from up high, enjoys an exceptional view, dominating the whole of the
surrounding area. We return along the same path until we come to the
crossroad, with signs for San Michele, which we passed on our way up.
Here we turn left, taking the detour down through the woods. We pass a
spring and at the next crossroads turn left, climbing slightly. The
path shows obvious signs of a dry stream and continues towards the
valley floor. Here we arrive at a second crossroads, still descending,
while alongside us we can see a little stream that we meet after a
sharp bend. We cross this and the second stream shortly afterwards
arriving near Bagni di San Michele, the ancient spa we just mentioned.
Passing under a little stone bridge we continue climbing in the
direction of the road that we take. We continue walking along the last
section of our route which in a quarter of an hour brings us to our
starting point.
This itinerary is
part of a collection that the magazine “Trekking”, together with the
APT (Provincial Tourist Authority) of the Tuscan Coast, has dedicated
to the most beautiful trekking routes in this area. A series of
itineraries that will help you discover lovely places and will
introduce you to a district that has great environmental and cultural
appeal.
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