Mount Falterona

Access

Leaving the motorway at the Cesena Nord exit, proceed in the direction of Forlimpopoli on the state road (Via Emilia). After passing Forlimpopoli, you reach the village of Ronco where, turning left, you take the state road for the Passo della Colla. Continue up the state road, passing Meldola, Galeata and Santa Sofia. Continue up the road to the pass: after about 20 kilometres you reach the tourist resort of Campigna and, shortly afterwards, the Passo della Calla: here turn right and follow the road that leads to Fangacci: after a few kilometres you come to a large car park, where you can leave your car.

Introduction

Mount Falterona, together with the nearby Mount Falco, represent the two main peaks of the Casentino Forest National Park. The itinerary proposed here provides a taste of the Apennine ridge environment, surrounded by beech forests and wide panoramic views.

Description

From the car park, proceed for a few tens of metres until you reach the entrance to the military road: take it to the left, after putting on your snowshoes.
Go up the road in the middle of the beech forest with a constant gradient; after a quarter of an hour, make a turn to the right and you will soon reach path 00 just after a military hut. Go around the perimeter of the military area, leaving it to the left, and cross a short traverse that is slightly treacherous in icy snow and where there is no trace. One crosses a wooded thicket and, turning left, climbs up the back of the military installation, rejoining the line of the ridge. Continue along the often wooded ridge, following the sinuosity of the relief until reaching the apex of the ski lifts; a little further on, you reach a large clearing and the fork for Piancancelli (1640m, 0h50'): neglect the descent to the right, which will be taken on the return journey, and continue straight on in a westerly direction, heading towards the slightly accentuated summit of Monte Falco. Start climbing again, always moderately, to reach a second clearing and finally the summit of Monte Falco (1657m, 1h00').
After enjoying the view of Poggio Martino below, begin a short descent, taking in the Tuscan side of the ridge, continuing around a small knoll and then descending a short distance until reaching the junction for Falterona (1600m, 1h30'). Following the signs, turn right and start climbing up a steep stretch of woodland; you soon gain height until you reach the foothills of the peak. The ascent becomes gentler and the first panoramic glimpses open up; continue along the ridge until you reach the summit of Monte Falterona (1654m, 1h45'), recognisable by the high cross on the summit.
The return journey can be along the route taken on the outward journey, or you can proceed with a few small variations that will help you enjoy the magical atmosphere of the park even more in its winter guise.
Continue on the summit in a south-westerly direction until you come to the marker 3: descend the slope, still immersed in the beech wood, until you come to a track recognisable thanks to the signs: turn left. After a few metres, we come to the fork for Campo d'Arno, the place where the river that crosses Florence and Tuscany has its source: we ignore the fork and continue along the southern flank of Monte Falterona until we return to the point where we had turned to reach the summit. We now retrace a stretch of the path we took on the way up, reach the summit of Monte Falco once again and descend slightly until we come to the clearing where the fork for Piancancelli (1640 m) is located: turn left and, still following the beaten track, we enter the northern offshoots of Monte Falco; with a long traverse with a fair gradient, we lose altitude and quickly reach the Passo di Piancancelli (1500 m). We are approaching the end of the route; turn right and start walking along the Nordic skiing track, taking care to keep upstream (on the right), avoiding stepping on the tracks. Proceed slightly downhill until you reach the end of the track: remove your poles and walk a few hundred metres until you reach the car park.