Pontelungo – Churches, River Floodplains and Trails

Pontelungo between the Ombrone and Montalbano

Pontelungo brings together historic churches, the river landscape of the Ombrone Pistoiese and several documented routes. This makes the village suitable for a stay in which culture and landscape do not have to be considered separately: one day can lead to a church, another to the river floodplains or onto a trail towards the hills of Montalbano. The Romea Strata reaches the entrance to Pontelungo and meets the Ombrone Pistoiese River there once again. At the same entrance, it turns left towards the slopes of Montalbano. After a few kilometres, the route climbs through forests, vineyards and olive groves in the hills. When choosing accommodation, this means a clear distinction between a stay focused on the river landscape and an itinerary that includes the ascending trails into the hilly landscape.

River floodplains and trails with varied landscapes

An environmental trail runs within the right and left river embankments and floodplains from Pontelungo to Gello. In this section, the broad Ombrone floodplain displays dense riverside vegetation and birdlife that partly resembles that of typical wetlands south of the plain. The landscape is therefore not merely a connection between individual places, but a destination in its own right for a slower route along the river. The Cammino di San Jacopo also offers various points of interest. The Pistoia–Serravalle section begins in Pontelungo and leads to the Convento di Giaccherino. A described route also leads into the valley as far as the Torrente Vincio di Montagnana and then back around the hill to Pontelungo. You can therefore choose between a route leading from Pontelungo to a named destination and one that returns to the starting point.

Churches between the Middle Ages and the present day

The cultural side of Pontelungo includes the present-day church of San Piero in Vincio, built in 1645. It had already been mentioned in a document from 1185 as S. Petri Vico Petrosi. In the 13th century, San Piero in Vincio is recorded as dependent on the Pieve di Groppoli. The present-day church of S. Pancrazio a Celle also stands nearby; it was renovated in the 18th century and preserves traces of Romanesque structures. It is considered the church in the Pistoia area with the earliest documentary record. The present-day church of Santi Pietro e Girolamo provides a distinctly more recent architectural accent. It was built in the 1990s to a design by architect Giovanni Michelucci. The Romea Strata leads to this church in Collina, thereby combining a route through the landscape with a specific cultural destination. The small Romanesque church of Pieve di San Michele a Broccoli is also located on a hill between the Vincio Valley and the Ombrone Valley.

Choose Pontelungo as your starting point

If you are looking for accommodation in Pontelungo for your trip, you can assess the village according to your preferred daily rhythm: the routes along the Ombrone lead through floodplains and riverside vegetation, while the Romea Strata and Cammino di San Jacopo open up further landscape and cultural destinations. For orientation on arrival, the Autolinee Toscane bus route 76 is designated Pistoia FS–Pontelungo–Ramini–Case Soldi and includes the PONTELUNGO Ombrone and PONTELUNGO stops. If you would like to expand your search, you will also find Sammommè, Sarripoli, Arcigliano, Ponte Nuovo, Bottegone, Santomato, Piastre and Cireglio.

For the broader travel overview: Pistoia.