27 Pontremoli to Massa
1116 m climbing
7h 56m elapsed
Showers, 19
71.97 km
5h 05m moving
11% off-road
Today started being woken at 0430 by huge thunderstorms and torrential rain, yet ended in the sunshine sitting by the pool on the Tuscan Riviera. Despite being very “on-road” this was one of the most memorable days on the Via Francigena.
Pontremoli to Massa GPX file
Pontremoli to Aulla
Leaving Pontremoli you pass by a very old bridge.
There’s very few options for cycling on this part of the Via Francigena because you’re in a valley heading down towards the coast. From Pontremoli you have 3 options: 1) Follow the walking route, 2) Take the main road on the East side of the valley, 3) Follow the official Via Francigena cycle route on the West side of the valley.
Since it had rained all night (not just normal rain, but ferocious thunderstorms), I felt following the official walking path of the Via Francigena over a couple of mountains would be a nightmare. Since main roads are pretty much a “no-go” for me, that left only the third option of following the cycle route.
The first 14km to Ponte Magra (Villafranca on the East bank) aren’t great and I couldn’t include them in any highlights… they’re just something to get over with. The road is relatively busy, especially in the morning at rush hour, and there’s really nothing interesting on the way.
After Ponte Magra the road is quiet and green.
However things change for the next 10km into Aulla. At Ponte Magra, the main road crosses over the river leaving a very small asphalt road with very few cars on it. It has some great views and passes through some nice villages such as Lusuolo.
Coming into Aulla you’ve got to cross the river and then you’re on an old railway line.
Looking back across the bridge whilst crossing over towards Aulla.
A few km of converted railway coming into Aulla
I spent a bit of time in Aulla trying to discover where the “old” town was - turns out there isn’t one. The town was destroyed during the second world war and now feels like a cross between North Korea and a 1970s French ski resort. So definitely worth a stop to see something different and enjoy the excellent coffee and pastries (I stopped at Bar Trocadero and can recommend it).
Aulla
Aulla to Carrera
The Via Francigena cycle route continues out of Aulla and up a very steep road to Ponzanello before dropping back down again to take in Sarzana, one of the official stops on the Via Francigena.
Just after the first bend out of Aulla I took a slight detour to explore a potential off-road “shortcut” on the map (Komoot/Google Maps). It wasn’t worth it… a very steep small hill followed by some pretty extreme hacking through bushes to follow the track.
Ater that it was back to being a “roadie” for the day. The cycle route turns south through what looks like a really cool old Italian factory and then goes along a lovely valley for a whlie where there’s virtually no cars.
After about 2km the road splits: continue up the pleasant valley or head on up the hill. This is the hill that the official guide warns cyclists against: “the rise to Ponzanello is quite demanding” before suggesting taking the train. It isn’t that far in distance terms to Ponzanello, a bit less than 6km up hill. But it is steep: there’s 2-3km where the average is around 9%. It felt like I walked half of it and cycled half… my bike or me (likely both) didn’t have the ability to cycle some of this stuff. Either way the walk / bike was very pleasant in the clouds, there were no cars (or cyclists for that matter) that passed me and the route felt quite deserted, even eerie.
Ponzanello was in the clouds.
Ponzanello was back there somewhere
Ponzanello itself was especially creepy since the only living thing I saw in this ancient hamlet was a dog that followed me around whilst I explored on foot.
First time seeing the sea on the Via Francigena since Wissant near Calais.
After Ponzanello there’s a little more climbing (nothing difficult this time) before the official cycle route veers off back down the hill. But I really wanted to see Carrara, the home of marble; even though it is not on the Via Francigena it is perhaps a more “worthy” stop for understanding the history of the area. The other positive was that I could stay up high for another 10km before an easy 10km descent into Carrara: the views are amazing.
The roads up high to Carrara felt post-apocalyptic
Looking down on the marble quarries above Carrara
Carrara to the coast
Carrara is a magnificent small town. Very colourful buildings enhanced with marble of different hues and types. It doesn’t feel expensive, just part of the town.
I found a great lunch spot in the main square to watch people and talk with the locals - they’re very happy to talk about marble. Apparently most of the trade is controlled by one family.
After lunch I went over the hill (a pretty steep one, but not very long) to Massa which after Carrara was seriously disappointing (it reminded me of Aulla but perhaps without the sad story behind it). So didn’t stop there and took off directly down to the part of Massa, Marina di Massa, that is 5km away down on the coast.
Looking back at the marble quarries from the road between Carrara and Massa
There’s so much marble around these parts that it feels like it has given rise to a unique architectural movement. This is a church in Massa.
The coastal road near Massa is pretty dull with not much separation for the cyclists.
Just a reminder of how wet it has been in these areas.
The scenery changes dramatically as you transition of the hills to the coast. It becomes flat and, in this area at least, is covered with houses that get progressively grander towards the coast. There’s pockets of Mediterranean pine forest that give it a certain character that is quite distinct from anything else on the Via Francigena until now.
Overnight: Hotel La Bussola, Marina di Massa
This was a lovely little family hotel. The sun had come out and it was plenty warm enough to sit out and enjoy the pool.
The terrace was a great relaxing place to read and have a beer. Plus the food was good too.
Recommended.