Da_Croci_di_Calenzano_a_S.Lucia
Itinerary
Croci di Calenzano → Muriccia
From the Croci pass, take the forest tracks heading northwest, through oak woods and dry-stone walls, skirting the scattered houses of
Muriccia (an agricultural hillside area). A good warm-up, with a gentle gradient.
Muriccia → (nei pressi di) San Pietro a Casaglia
Continue with gentle ups and downs on gravel roads and paths toward the small hamlet of
San Pietro a Casaglia (there is no need to enter the village: the route passes above/below it depending on the variant). It is a rural settlement with a stone countryside church.
San Pietro a Casaglia → (near) Londolatico
A more wooded stretch, then panoramic openings toward the plain: you skirt
Londolatico, another micro-hamlet on the Calenzano hills. Here pastures begin and the landscape becomes typical of the Calvana.
Londolatico → Poggio Cavallina
A steeper climb up to the ridge:
Poggio Cavallina is an excellent viewpoint and a trail junction, also connected to CAI routes
20 and
42 (Foce ai Cerri). Calcareous terrain, pastureland, frequent wind.
Cresta della Calvana (ANPIL) → Poggio Castiglione
This is the most spectacular section: a broad ridge across
arid calcareous grasslands, sinkholes, and rocky outcropsthe Bisenzio valley and the Prato/Florence plain. Minor knolls are reached up to Poggio Castiglione (sometimes locally referred to as “Castellone/Castellare” on some maps). The area is protected (ANPIL Monti della Calvana) for its natural and karst value.
Final descent → Santa Lucia (bus stop)
Via CAI paths and cart tracks, descend southwest toward the urban edge; arrival at the Santa Lucia bus stop (northwest district of Prato).
Notable features along the route
- Church of San Pietro a Casaglia: small community and rural stone church, peaceful ridge setting.
- Londolatico: historic agricultural hamlet, a transition between woodland and pasture.
- Poggio Cavallina: ridge junction with links to CAI trails CAI 20/42 (toward Foce ai Cerri), a good rest point.
- ANPIL Monti della Calvana: calcareous massif with karst phenomena (sinkholes, caves), wild orchids (spring), daffodils, and herds of Calvanina cattle grazing; an open and luminous landscape.
- Poggio Castiglione: panoramic knoll of the southern Calvana, a natural balcony over Prato and the plain.
