Palagnana: Hiking Trails and Mountain Landscapes in Tuscany

Palagnana is a starting point for hikes on Monte Croce. If you would like to combine your stay with specific trails, mountain scenery and local history, you will find several different points of interest here: marked CAI trails, a short protected section, a via ferrata, as well as meadows, churches and traditional meeting places.

Trails between Palagnana and the mountains

The CAI Trail 135 runs via Il Termine di Palagnana, also known as Colle delle Baldorie, to Pioppo di Palagnana. CAI Trail 137 includes a short protected section. From Palagnana, a CAI trail also leads to a via ferrata dedicated to Renato Salvatori. In the vicinity of Palagnana, this via ferrata follows the ridge to the southern summit of Monte Forato. Another connection is provided by CAI Trail 113, which links Foce del Pallone and Alto Matanna with Palagnana. For a route toward Monte Croce, Trail No. 108 runs from Foce delle Porchette past Le Scalette to the meadows of Monte Croce. From Palagnana, an old mule track also leads past several remote houses to the meadows at the eastern foot of Monte Croce.

Monte Croce and the landscape

Palagnana lies at the foot of the 1,314-meter-high Monte Croce. In spring, yellow daffodils, asphodels and wild orchids bloom in the meadows of Monte Croce. Anyone hiking at this time of year encounters a landscape whose special character lies not only in the mountain names and trail connections, but also in the plants mentioned above. The flowering season explicitly refers to spring. The history of the trails is also part of the character of the village. An old mule track once connected Stazzema and Palagnana. This historical function should be distinguished from the mule track described above leading to the meadows at the eastern foot of Monte Croce: the former is remembered as an earlier connection between two villages, while the latter leads from Palagnana past remote houses toward the mountain meadows.

Churches, festivals and local history

The churches in Palagnana include the Church of S. Anna. The Feast of S. Giovanni is celebrated every year on August 29 and provides a clearly defined date in the local calendar. The village’s historical character also includes the Da Ge’ restaurant: it was a traditional meeting place for the shepherds of Alpe della Grotta and has a history spanning more than a century. You can therefore consider Palagnana according to your preferred focus: the trails on Monte Croce, the named CAI connections and the via ferrata, or the village’s cultural and historical associations.

Other places in Stazzema

Retignano, Culla, Farnocchia, Terrinca and Levigliani.

For the overview of the wider travel area: Stazzema.