Canale Lunense cycle and walking path. Italia.it

Canale Lunense cycle and walking path

Typology

cycling route

Number of Stages

Difficulty

Medium

There is nothing better than cycling through fields and woods on the banks of the Canale Lunense: a work of hydraulic engineering and rural architecture that bears witness to the history and development of the Magra valley. A unique area comprising the beauty of the River Magra, the blue Ligurian Sea and the grandeur of the Apuan Alps.

From Santo Stefano in Magra to the town of Luni, almost twenty-five kilometres on the extreme edge of the province of La Spezia, a route that joins on to the Via Francigena pilgrim route.The Lunense Canal also crosses several hilly stretches: the countryside, the houses with their gardens and the small bridges over the waterway immediately attract your gaze. The path is well signposted everywhere, even in the side streets that lead to it, and provides indications of areas of public interest. Besides being a natural spectacle, the canal also offers an opportunity to learn about the history of the place.

Download the GPX track at the following link.

From Santo Stefano towards Sarzana

In Santo Stefano di Magra, you can visit the historic village on a picturesque hill overlooking the Luni plain, a real link between the sea and the mountains.Passing through Ponzano Magra, you can take a detour to the former Ceramica Vaccari, the largest ceramics factory in Europe in the 1950s, a forge of futurist art, and an industrial site employing thousands of people. Moving on, Sarzana stands out for its artistic and monumental works in the centre, including the Cittadella, a fortress built by Lorenzo the Magnificent.

From Sarzana to Luni

The next stop is Castelnuovo di Magra, dominated by the bishop's palace. Next, you arrive in Luni, where the Lunense Canal flows into the River Parmignola; here the cycle-walking road ends, in this ancient city that was a flourishing centre in Roman times. Evidence of this remains with the amphitheatre, theatre, and monumental remains and ruins, and the Archaeological Museum of Luni, with its important archaeological collections.

Canale Lunense cycle and walking path

From Santo Stefano towards Sarzana

From Sarzana to Luni

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