Silent Ridges - Mountain Roads.

The mountains south of Bologna and north of Florence offer landscapes that seem to have very little Emilian and Tuscan. Here we do not find the gentle hills or rows of cypresses of the Sienese outskirts, nor hints of the Florentine Renaissance. Seeing the morphology from above, it is easy to notice how these ridges suddenly stand out from the underlying plains, making us understand that they have very little to do with the local tourist stereotypes of the two regions.

The starting point of this tour is Porretta Terme, which you can easily reach by regional train from the central station of Bologna or from Pistoia. From here start pedaling, immediately entering the valleys of the Tre Limentre. The heights above us host ancient villages of medieval origin, some of which are really well preserved and veterans of the wars of ancient Italy. It is precisely in these valleys that Bologna and Pistoia faced each other for domination of the mountains. After a few kilometres, you are already in Tuscan territory. From Pàvana, a holiday and transit resort until the last years of the 1900s, today famous for being the birthplace of the singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini, you arrive at the ruins of the Castle of Sambuca, then continuing on the Strada della Faggeta. This ancient route, now almost unknown, is one of the many variants that connect to the Via Francigena. You're pedaling on a road entirely on the ridge, on a surface that gradually changes from a neglected asphalt to a dirt road and then a path, enclosed by a wonderful and endless beech forest. From here you can admire the Upper Reno Valley, surmounted by the highest peak of the Bolognese Apennines: the Corno alle Scale (1,945 m a.s.l.)

Just before going up to the top, you can stop for a break in the small village of Pòsola, an ancient post office for merchants, built in the 13th century. We are at 900 meters above sea level.
Once you reach the town of Pracchia, I suggest you catch your breath for a moment before starting the long dirt road that will take you to Porta Franca. Pracchia is the cornerstone of the Apennine area. Once a customs post between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal States, the first trans-Apennine railway in Italy passes through here: the Porrettana Bologna-Pistoia Ferrata Road of Central Italy, completed in 1864. From the beautiful village of Orsigna, pearl of the Upper Pistoia Apennines , begins to climb the dirt road that takes you higher and higher. It is a beautiful forest road which in this autumn period is set on fire by the red of the beech trees. As soon as the path ends, a stretch of portage awaits you up to the Rifugio di Porta Franca, as short as it is tough. The refuge is located on the homonymous pass used by smugglers to avoid paying customs duty between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal States. From here you leave the Tuscan world behind you, returning to the province of Emilia.

The panorama takes your breath away. Now comes the fun part, it's time to throw yourself down the forest road at breakneck speed, following a flow of hairpin bends downhill through the silent woods. The descent is a fairytale: from Portafranca the route is on a singletrack with few ups and downs, which then becomes a forest road that is a bit split in some points, but can be pedaled entirely. You can stop for a coffee or a slice of cake at the Segavecchia refuge, which appears out of nowhere in the heart of the forest. Here the path ends and the asphalt returns. It crosses the wild Alta Valle del Silla and arrives in the village of Pianaccio, cradle of the journalist Enzo Biagi. At the Antica Locanda Alpina they serve excellent red wine, to warm your heart just enough to face the last kilometers that separate you from Porretta.

Bikes:
- Gravel with tires of minimum 40mm, if 650bx45mm much better.
-MTB Front