Ponte Nuovo: Hiking Trails, the Bure Stream and the Ciclovia del Sole

Ponte Nuovo draws your attention to trails along the Bure Stream and to the planned Ciclovia del Sole—concrete links to the landscape, hiking and cycling. At the same time, Paterno and Villa di Paterno point to a history that dates back to the Middle Ages and is connected with today’s landscape.

Hiking on CAI Trail 202 and along the Bure

CAI hiking trail 202 leads from Pontenuovo via San Quirico and Pian del Cerro to the connection with Trail 32. The route is 6.35 kilometres long, with a stated walking time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. This clearly describes the route, length and time frame of this hike before you plan your itinerary. A differently characterised option is the hike “L'argine della Bure”. It runs along the Bure embankment between Chiesina Montalese and Pontenuovo and is considered easy and suitable for everyone. The Bure Stream offers special panoramic views to discover, as well as a habitat for many different animal species. The Bure is therefore not only part of a named hiking route, but also a landscape with its own natural significance.

The planned Ciclovia del Sole

For cyclists, the Ciclovia del Sole is an important project for the future; the sections mentioned are part of a planned undertaking. The section in Pistoia is intended to be almost 10 kilometres long and run from Pistoia railway station to the border with Montale. The planned route is to run via Via Pontenuovo Croce and Via dei Guadi and cross the Bure Stream via a new pedestrian and cycle bridge. The Ciclovia del Sole project is intended to promote cycle tourism and sustainable mobility in the region. At Sei Arcole, the planned route is also intended to have a branch to Pistoia railway station, from where cyclists can continue by train. The planned route of the Ciclovia del Sole runs through Pontenuovo and Forramoro in the municipality of Pistoia and then continues to Montale, Prato and Florence. The planned route is intended to integrate Pontenuovo into a broader cycling and route network; it has not yet been fully completed.

Bus connection and historical traces

Bus route 25O connects Pistoia, Pontenuovo, Santomato, Montale, Montemurlo and Oste. For orientation, this means that, alongside the hiking and cycling routes, a named bus connection is also part of the picture of the area. The place name Paterno has been documented since 1415. In the Pontenuovo area, the Sozzifanti family built the representative villa known as Villa di Paterno between the late 16th century and the early years of the 17th century. Today’s Villa di Paterno is a private residence and was rebuilt after the Second World War. The former villa and chapel were blown up in 1944 during the German retreat. During construction work on the Ciclovia del Sole in Pontenuovo, the walls of an oratory belonging to the former Villa di Paterno were uncovered. This historical trace is therefore directly connected with the development of the planned cycling route, but it must be distinguished from the villa’s current private use. For further research, you can also find [Bottegone](Bottegone), [Santomato](Santomato), [Arcigliano](Arcigliano), [Piteccio](Piteccio), [Piastre](Piastre), [Pontelungo](Pontelungo), [Sarripoli](Sarripoli) and [Sammommè](Sammommè).

For the main travel overview: Pistoia.