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LA NATURA
In the marvellous forest of the Abetone, with fir-trees,
larches and Scotch firs, you find the Orto botanico forestale
dell'Abetone (the Forest and Botanical gardens) which comprehend
a vast area of forests where typical plants and trees from this
part of Tuscany are protected, and a small rocky garden. The botanical
gardens are located at 1270 to 1300 metres above sea-level, in the
high valley of Sestaione and protect a range of autochthonous plants,
some of them almost extinguished.
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The
rocky part of the reserve hosts plants from other areas, such as the
rare "Vedovella" which grows on the rocks of the Balzo Nero
and the Apuane Alps. Between the rocks you find plants which are typical
for this area such as the gentiam, the bellflower, the primrose, the
rhododendron and the orchid. Inside the Botanical gardens of the Abetone
there are three trails if you want to take a walk in this uncontaminated
area.
Not far from the Botanical Gardens, at the right of the Sestaione
valley, you can visit the Riserva naturale orientata di Campolino
(the Natural Reserve of Campolino), which was founded to protect
the only local red fir-trees left in around the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
The reserve comprehends an area from 1400 and 1850 metres above sea-level
and hosts very rare plants. But the main attraction is the red fir-tree,
which used to be very common in the Alps, in the Apennines and in
the Central Europe, but today almost extinguished. The reserve of
Campolino was founded in 1972 to protect the red fir-tree and today
you can visit the reserve with a guided visit organised by the Forester
of the Abetone.
The best way to enjoy the natural beauties of the Pistoiese
mountain is to take one of the six itineraries set by the Eco-museum
of the Pistoiese Mountain which feature the relationship between
man and nature during the centuries. The Green Itinerary runs
along the protected areas of the Botanical Gardens of the Abetone
and the Reserve of Campolino. To complete the offer, the Eco-museum
has created a workshop at Fontana Vacchia (Abetone) where you can
make researches.
The Ice Itinerary offers a jump back to the past of
the Reno Valley where the production of ice was the main activity
from the end of the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century.
The itinerary passes the villages of Pracchia and Le Piastre, which
were famous for the ice production and the buildings where the ice
was preserved. If you take the itinerary set by the Eco-museum you
can see the techniques used to dam the water of the river Reno. The
water was stored in the artificial lakes, where it formed ice in the
winter.
The best way to see it is to go to the ice-factory Ghicciaia
dell Madonnina, close to Le Piastre. The well-maintained complex allows
you to see the dam-bridle system, the ponds and the lakes which are
still working for didactic purposes. From the Ghiacciaia della Madonnina
you start the ice itinerary which end at Pracchia, where you find
the didactic area of the Eco-museum, which can be visited on request.
At Pracchia you find the start of the Iron Itinerary which
features the flourishing activity of the production and working of
the iron from the Elba island. The abundance of water and timber favoured
the early-industrial activity of working the iron, a process which
ended in the foundries, where the metal was forged to make tools and
items. At Pracchia you find the foundry Ferreria Sabatini, closed
in 1952 and now a museum. Here you find old items and the evolution
of the foundries from the Grand Dukes until today. In the former schools
of Pontepetri you find the Info Point of the area, with models, tools
and multimedia equipment.
The Holy Art and Religious Itinerary eatures all the parish
churches from the Late Middle Ages along the main roads of the Apennines.
The sanctuaries were often the heart of the first settlements which
developed around the church walls. Very important churches were the
churches named after the Virgin Mary, Vergine Maria, among which we
can point out the Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta of Popiglio, which
today features a part of the Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra of Pistoia,
where you find, furnishing, gold-works, paintings and sculptures.
Close to the church you can visit the convent of the Dominican nuns,
from the 16th century. By following the itinerary of religious architecture
you will come in contact with the popular religiosity, the tabernacles.
There are many tabernacles dedicated to the Madonna along the trails
which connect the main religious and historical buildings.
At Rivoreta, in the municipality of Cutigliano, you find the
unique and fascinating museum dedicated to the people living in the
Pistoiese Apennine, where you find everyday items of the mountain
people. The Museum and the Daily-life Itinerary, carried out
by the Eco-museum, offer an extraordinary way to understand how the
people of the mountain lived between the 16th century and the 20th
century. Here you can find curiosities, the daily-life, from work
to cooking, from folklore to religion. Every day, the last Sunday
in July the inhabitants feature the Living Museum, an event for the
visitors to see how the inhabitants lived.
In the municipality of Sambuca Pistoiese you find the heart of the
Stone Itinerary, dedicated to the tradition of this resort
which was a lively centre already in the 7th century. At Sambuca the
artisans has extracted, worked and used the stone for centuries. The
local stone "pietre serena" worked by the Masters of Sambuca
was used to build houses, stables, mills for the chestnuts and other
products from the forests, defensive complexes and to decorate civil
and religious buildings. The noble and rich families in Florence and
other Tuscan cities had their houses decorated in "pietra serena"
by the artisans of the Pistoiese Apennines.
The Eco-museum has carried out three itineraries to discover
the stone activity. The first itinerary stars and ends at Pavana,
running along the paved Via Francesca from Sambuca to Castello, to
see the medieval defensive system of Sambuca. Today you can only see
parts of the walls and the watch-tower. The second itinerary takes
you to the villages of Torraccia and Torri, where you can visit the
stone quarries of the area. The itinerary of Treppio and the Limentrella
valley winds along medieval villages, stone bridges, old mills and
tabernacles. You find all the information at the Eco-museum, Palazzo
Achilli at Gavinana. |
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