We had beautiful warm weather all of last week which encouraged us to strike a better balance between getting work done and playing. Interesting excursions were the order of the day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
On Monday we drove up the Serchio Valley, something we had not done in a long time. At the north end of the valley, not long before the road drops over the top and winds its way down to Aulla in the Lunigiana, the fortress of Verrucole is perched high above the pass.
We had visited it before but as we drove towards it we could see that further work had been done on the old tower. It had been repaired and roofed. So, we drove up to the tiny village that sits just below the castle and hiked up the path up to check it out.
It was a gorgeous day but you can tell by bare trees and the snow on the Alpi Apuane that it is a late spring this year in Tuscany. On the right in this picture you can see the nice cobbled path that leads up to the fort and its crowning tower.
Across the valley from the fortress is an old village. If you enlarge this picture (click on it) you will see a whole field of solar panels in the middle of it. I like the juxtaposition of the old and new.
The hike up the hill is about a quarter of a mile. We were pretty warm by the time we got to the gate.
The castle is long and narrow. It follows the contours of the ridge it is perched on. Concerts are held there in the summer, hence the stage that can be seen behind the tree. There is also a small building for selling tickets and a concession stand/bar at the far end.
The main entrance gate is on the right and you can see how the tower rises above it.
Over the years we have visited the castle a number of times. Restoration work has been steady with the rebuilding of the tower the latest phase. Below the roof are the excavated remains of the old chapel. The large object under cover is an old fresco-ed wall and alter.
This is a view to the south down the Serchio Valley. It was a beautiful clear day.
This photo was taken from the top of the steps leading to the tower which was unfortunately locked up. (Even more disappointing was the fact that the bathrooms were locked!)
Hiking back down the hill the view was to the west of the Appenini, the spine of Italy. By late this week a lot of the snow was gone. The temperatures have been in the mid 70s every day up until yesterday when it turned cooler. The sun is supposed to return for part of this coming week.
Next post: Lunch at the Beach
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