Excursion program outline:
Thursday:
Arrival, meeting with your guide, dinner, overnight stay.
Friday:
Breakfast, start of our excursion, dinner, overnight stay.
Excursion no. 1 : Marina di Campo – Marina di Campo. Panoramic ascents, breathtaking discents, single trek, beaches, granite quarries.
Itinerary: Marina di Campo – Mount Perone – Piane al Canale – S.Piero – Marina di Campo – Mount San Martino – Mount Orello – Procchio – Mount Pinello – Colle Pecoano – Mount Pericoli – Monumento – Mount Tambone – Mount Castello – Marina di Campo.
Surroundings: garrigue, scrubland, woodland.
Length: Km. 79.8
Total altitude difference: 2340 mt.
Duration time: 8 hours (cycle touring pace)
Difficulty level: medium
Leaving from Marina di Campo, we follow up the dirt road in ‘Le Solane’ towards Mount Castello (226 m.a.s.l.), then by Colle Reciso, will cycle about 6 kilometers on a pretty much flat road surrounded by Mediterranean scrub, then go up via an old mules track to the village of Poggio (330 m.a.s.l.) After a short paved stretch that leads us up to the 410 mt. of Marciana village, we take a forest trail among the Valley of Pedalta, and after pedaling under lush chestnut groves we will reach San Cerbone Hermitage at 531 m.a.s.l.. From here, a steep descent will lead us back to the village of Poggio, a true thrill for speed enthusiasts! Hence we cycle up on tarmac to Mount Perone, from which a trail at times pretty technical but overall magnificent will take us back to Marina di Campo town centre after a long 15 Km descent.
Saturday:
Breakfast, excursion departure, dinner, overnight stay.
Excursion no.2 : Pianosa. Departure by ‘Domizia’ motorboat from Marina di Campo harbour, arrival in Pianosa after about 40 minutes of navigation. Start of our guided mountain bike tour along the island’s awesome dirt roads. During the excursion we will get to admire breathtaking views and appreciate the scents of this now uninhabited island .
Duration of the excursion: 3 or 5 hours, at choice.
Difficulty level: easy.
Leaving Pianosa Island at about 4.30pm . Dinner and overnight stay.
Discovering Pianosa
Length: 24 Km.
Interests: historical, geological, landscaping.
Leaving at 8am from Marina di Campo harbour, after a 35 minutes journey we disembark at Pianosa together with our bikes. Surrounded by an incredibly clear sea full of marine life, we start to pedal around the Tuscan Archipelago brightest island. We visit its small and simple but very elegant port as well as the now abandoned village, made even more evocative and mysterious by its sea salt eroded buildings.
After passing the aristocratic “Villa dell’ Agronomo”, we cross the prison entrance still on our bikes, to visit the forsaken structures and crops once belonging to the old agricultural colony, here we come across many red partridges, pheasants and hares, all species introduced on the island over two centuries ago when Pianosa was a private hunting reserve belonging to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Cycling along effortless paths, we admire the beautiful dry stone walls typical of the island, then reach “Castello del Marchese”, a refined castle built on the island northern edge, that over its novel-esque history has been a setting for multiple purposes; below us the beautiful bay of Golfo del Marchese, whose crystalline waters are enhanced by friable white rocks delimiting the land end. While heading south again along the west coast, we stop by Gulf of Botte to visit the ancient wash houses and the Roman aqueduct. Our excursion continues on the beautiful coast of Pianosa (where you can watch several sea birds, with “Scopoli’ s shearwater” being perhaps the most relevant of species) surrounded by intense Mediterranean scrub scents . Further on, we observe the watchtowers built during the high security prison times, then head inland where Pianosa, due to its flat and slightly raised above sea level territory that prevents from seeing the actual coastline, gives you the impression of being able to reach both Elba and Corsica while still on your bike. After cycling among magnificent cliffs corroded by sea (an hint about the island crumbly geological structure) and lush pine groves, passing before the infamous “Agrippa section” (part of the once top security prison) on our way back to the village, and visiting the remains of Villa Romana di Agrippa, we conclude our excursion on Cala Giovanna beach, the only shore on Pianosa where bathing is allowed.
Sunday:
breakfast, departure.