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Overview
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This guidebook describes the Grande Escursione Appenninica (GEA), a nearly 400km long, three week trek crossing the Apennines in 23 stages, from Bocca Trabaria to Passo Due Santi on the edge of Liguria. The route dips in and out of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, never dropping below 400 metres.
Best walked between spring and autumn, it is suitable for any reasonably fit walker, and this guidebook provides step-by-step route descriptions, accompanied by detailed mapping. There are transport options for joining and leaving the walk at a number of points, making it perfect for undertaking in small sections or single-day walks. There are suggestions for accommodation en route in comfortable guest houses and alpine-style huts, making it essential reading for anyone undertaking the GEA.
The Apennines are Italy's best-kept secret. Forming the rugged spine of the Italian peninsula, this range provides thousands of kilometres of marked trails over rocky crests and ridges and explores extensive forests and meadows, following routes established long ago by traders, pilgrims and shepherds and little affected by mass tourism.
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Table of Contents
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CONTENTS
Map key
Overview map
Introduction
The Apennines
The GEA trek
Highlights and shorter walks
Wildlife
Plants and flowers
Getting there
Local transport
When to go
Accommodation
Food and drink
What to take
Maps
Emergencies
Using this guide
The GEA
Stage 1 Bocca Trabaria to Passo di Viamaggio
Stage 2 Passo di Viamaggio to Caprese Michelangelo
Stage 3 Caprese Michelangelo to La Verna
Stage 4 La Verna to Badia Prataglia
Stage 5 Badia Prataglia to Rifugio Città di Forlì
Stage 6 Rifugio Città di Forlì to Passo del Muraglione
Stage 7 Passo del Muraglione to Colla di Casaglia
Stage 8 Colla di Casaglia to Badia Moscheta
Stage 9 Badia Moscheta to Passo del Giogo
Stage 10 Passo del Giogo to Passo della Futa
Stage 11 Passo della Futa to Montepiano
Stage 12 Montepiano to Rifugio Pacini
Stage 13 Rifugio Pacini to Pracchia
Stage 14 Pracchia to Lago Scaffaiolo
Stage 15 Lago Scaffaiolo to Boscolungo
Stage 16 Boscolungo to Lago Santo Modenese
Stage 17 Lago Santo Modenese to Passo delle Radici
Stage 18 Passo delle Radici to Passo di Pradarena
Stage 19 Passo di Pradarena to Passo del Cerreto
Stage 20 Passo del Cerreto to Prato Spilla
Stage 21 Prato Spilla to Lago Santo Parmense
Stage 22 Lago Santo Parmense to Passo della Cisa
Stage 23 Passo della Cisa to Passo Due Santi
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Italian–English glossary
Appendix C Useful contacts
Appendix D Background reading
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Maps
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Maps
Walking maps showing details of landscape features, contour lines, road passes and settlements are an essential aid for walkers on this trek. The sketch maps provided in this book give as much detail as possible, and are intended as a guide to show the location of the route with access/exit routes. Due to limitations of space it is not possible to show all landmarks essential for navigation, and sometimes a shortened placename appears on the sketch map, for example Poggio Travi (Poggio delle Travi is used in the route description). Good user-friendly walking maps – carta escursionistica in Italian – are published by Kompass and Selca.
Four handy waterproofed Kompass 1:50,000 maps cover the GEA, with the exception of the very start and the final stage.
Sheet 2459 for Stages 1–5 Sheet 2453 for Stages 6–10 Sheet 2452 for Stages 11–16 Sheet 2451 for Stages 17–22
Selca does a good series. While not covering the entire trek, the following are helpful:
Valtiberina e Marca Toscana 1:50,000 for Stages 1–3 Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi 1:25,000 for Stages 4–6 Alto Appennino Forlivese 1:50,000 for Stages 5–7 Alto Appennino Imolese 1:50,000 for Stages 8–11 Alto Appennino Bolognese 1:50,000 for Stages 12–15 Alto Appennino Modenese 1:25,000 for Stages 15–17 Parco Nazionale Appennino Tosco-emiliano 1:25,000 for Stages 18–22 Alto Appennino Parmense est 1:50,000 for Stages 21–22/first part of Stage 23 Alto Appennino Parmense ovest 1:50,000 for last part of Stage 23
Many maps are available in towns and villages across the Apennines, as well as the occasional local tourist office. Sansepolcro at the very start of the GEA is well supplied. Overseas suppliers include The Map Shop www.themapshop.co.uk at Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire and Stanfords stores in London and Bristol www.stanfords.co.uk; otherwise order from the online bookshop in Florence www.stella-alpina.com.
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Updates
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July 2023
Rigoso B&B
August 2021
Stage 5
Rifugio Città di Forlì is closed for the time being. Luckily comfortable accommodation is available at nearby Locanda Chalet della Burraia (www.chaletburraia.it Tel 0543/980006 – Cell. 335/6565764). From the rifugio take the lane E downhill to the Locanda. 10min should suffice.
October 2018
Updates
Stage 7:
The Mugello authorities have cleared the paths from near Colla della Maestà all the way to Colla di Casaglia as well as
Stage 10: the entire stretch from Passo del Giogo to Passo della Futa.
Sept 2018
it is stage 7 and 10 that are seriously overgrown in places - not Stages 4 and 5 as stated below. add at least 2 hours to each day.
Aug 2018
Stage 1: The road to the start of the trek is closed about 3km from Bocca Trabaria due to a land slip and there is no bus for the time being. It's possible to get a taxi from Sansepolcro to near the collapse and then walk to the start. (Road repairs are due to start soon - completion approx Nov 2018).
Stages 4 and 5 are seriously overgrown in places - add at least 2 hours to each day.
(Thanks to Graham Shorrock)
July 2018
Stage 4 :Sections between Chiusi della Verna and Badia Prataglia + stage 5 : San Godenzo (Passo Muraglione) to Colla di Casaglia are reportedly blocked by fallen trees, requiring scrambling to get around. Some trails are overgrown with brambles and tall ferns, and rife with ticks.
Stage 7: Colla di Casaglia - the Locanda no longer offers accommodation but a resto/hotel will pick up walkers, give them a room and meals and drop them off at the trailhead next morning: Le Spiagge Albergo Ristorante, Loc. Alpe-Palazzuolo sul Senio. tel. 055812281; cell 3393863056.
(Thanks to Ricia Gordon and William Dixon)
Oct 2017
p120 Lovely Albergo Carpe Diem at Passo di Pradarena at the end of Stage 18 has changed management and is now thankfully open once again:
tel 0522 899113 or mob 388 6471360, email: info@albergocarpediem.com
(Thanks to Barbara O)
August 2016
p72 Locanda della Colla www.locandadellacolla.it
Albergo Carpe Diem is currently closed. Stay at Rifugio Bargetana on the previous stage.
p141 Locanda degli Aceri is closed so go to the Ostello. Contact <>
via email forestalepassocisa@libero.it or phone: mobiles 328 8741814 or 347 4197674. The land line 0525 629072 no longer works.
p145 Zum Zeri website no longer works
(Thanks to Martin and Sue)<>
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Reviews
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Oct 2017 -Barbara O'Loan
We completed stages 15 - 19 of the Apennines GEA using Gillian Price's Guide book. The paths were very well marked and Gillian's descriptions accurate and kept us right!
"Just to thank Cicerone for the recent re-issue of Gillian Price’s excellent Trekking in the Apennines – the GEA.
The GEA was a fabulous experience. Very best wishes for continuing to bring Italy and other locations to life so well. We've greatly valued Cicerone guides for many years and it's refreshing when the enthusiasm for the places shines through the text.
Best regards,
Peter and Judi"
In the words of Gillian Price, the author of this guidebook, "The mountainous Apennines. without doubt, are Italy's bestkept secret." She goes some way towards rectifying that situation for English-speaking hikers.
The route in question covers about 400 kilometres of the northern part of the range, mainIy in Tuscany, and is roughly bisected by a line drawn from Bologna to Florence. The route was designed in the early 1980s and was opened by no less a figure than Reinhold Messner in 1983. The walking is straightforward on paths, forest tracks and lanes, but parts of the northern section are on exposed crests, which can be avoided if necessary. The route is divided into twenty-three sections, the longest section being 25km.
The guidebook itself is a handy pocket-sized volume in the style of the Cicerone series. lt is profusely illustrated with delightful pictures and route sketches in colour. The author points out that the sketches are not sufficient for naVigation and that 1:50,000 maps should be used. The sources for such maps are indicated. The altitude profiles are useful and include symbols for accommodation and transport connections so that such planning is simplified. Generally, the profiles and maps are on the same page or on a facing page, and can be viewed togethel~ In a few instances the profile is on the reverse of the map, making its use a little awkward.
Single-day or multiple-day walks are very feasible, thanks to the excellent public transport network to the villages and mountain passes. The author suggests a number of these of up to three days in duration.
With Aer Lingus and Ryanair serving both Pisa and Bologna from Dublin. any of these options is readily accessible and this guidebook is a very worthwhile companion for this long-distance trail.
Kevin Higgins.
Hillwalker, mountaineer, secretary of Tyndall Mountain ClUb, Kilkenny
Review published in the Irish Mountain Log, Spring 2016
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Downloads
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