Sciare l'Abetone

It is true that the Apennines are smaller, and less majestic than the Alps. However, they have a charm all their own, and when you journey to Abetone and take the Monte Gomito ski lift, you'll find yourself on the top of a ridge crest, with all of Emilia extending gracefully in one direction, and much of Tuscany in the other. The feeling of openness and freedom is tremendous, and you may not wish to descend. You should though; the trails are lots of fun.

Though the Abetone area has the best developed skiing in central Italy, the town's origins are much more prosaic: In the late1770s Archduke Pietro Leopoldo di Lorena, the new master of Tuscany, and Duke Ferdinando III di Modena agreed that their countries should be joined by something more than a treacherous mule track – a new road was opened to great fanfare in 1778, the way stop on the slope below the pass on the Tuscan side taking its name form the stump of a huge pine (an abetone, or large abete) that the builders had to chop down. Abetone's being squarely astride one of the major routes across the Apennines is both a boon and a bane; it's easy to reach from Florence, Prato, Pistoia, Lucca, Modena, Reggio Emilia, and Bologna, and is therefore packed on weekends. During the week it's delightful however, especially when the weather clears after a storm and there's fresh powder.

To reach Abetone by car (there are also busses) take the Firenze Mare to Pistoia and then follow the signs for Abetone; you'll wind up into the mountains on a very pretty road that leads through San Marcello Pistoiese and Cutigliano, and then climbs into the majestic pine forests that drape the high Apennines. The town doesn't have much to offer except nature, but you'll find that's quite sufficient. Drive up to the square to park (there's also an underground lot); if you need equipment there are two sport shops on the square that will rent you boots and skis. Once you're set in your boots, it's just a two-minute walk to the chair lift to the top of Monte Selletta, 1711 m. Once you get there you will have a choice of a number of trails, most of which are rated blue (easy), and wind pleasantly down through the forest. A couple of the slopes are rated red (intermediate), though from personal experience I can guarantee that they pose no problems to relatively novice skiers. Quite the contrary, they're exhilarating, with alternating dips that allow you to pick up speed and flat sections where you can regain control.

Once you've stretched your legs with a couple of easy runs, ski across the face of the ridge to lift 17, then take lift 15 and whoosh down the trail to the Monte Gomito egglift, number 18. Monte Gomito is the heart of the ski area; it has trails leading into all the valleys on the Tuscan side, and is also the access point for the Val di Luce, an aptly named valley that is beautifully lit during the afternoon, and which has most of the area's more interesting intermediate trails. If the weather's good, begin your exploration of the Valley of Light with a trip up to the Alpe Tre Potenze (1940 m); you'll be able to see all the way to the Tuscan coast, and also grab a bite to eat or join the people who have unzipped their parkas and are catching some rays.

Though the Abetone area does have artificial snow makers, the best time to visit the 51 kilometers of trails is late December to February, when the powder is usually natural and the mountains are cloaked in white. The area is quite pretty, and you may well decide you want to spend a couple of days exploring; the town has put together several very pretty nature trails (detailed maps and descriptions, the latter in Italian for now) for snow shoeing, and there are 15 km of cross country trails as well; if this still isn't enough there's also a skating rink. Going slightly further afield, there is also Cutigliano, a mediaeval village with a beautiful town hall.

On the practical end of things, there are two ski schools should you want a refresher; the Scuola Sci Abetone's number is (Italy 573) 60032, while the Scuola Sci Montegomito's number is (Italy 573) 60392. There are a half-dozen hotels; the Boscolungo is perhaps the best equipped – an elegant, modern mountain resort with a heated pool, sauna, nightclub and bar.

Abetone has a site that gives snow information, during the season (December-April), and there is also Sciare Informati, if you want to know about snow anywhere in Italy.

Want to ski elsewhere in Tuscany? Monte Amiata is quite nice, and is the first place I skied in Italy. Dale Mandel, on the other hand, learned to ski on the nearby Corno alle Scale, and kindly sent me several URLs:

General info Corno alle Scale: About the area in Italian and English, with a pretty picture of Vidiciatico and Lizzano.

Skiing Corno alle Scale: Info in Italian and English -- notes on the mountain's 36 km of trails.

Hiking Corno alle Scale: Info in Italian and English on lots of summer hiking trails, with degree of difficulty and descriptions of routes, but alas no map.

Hotels, Corno alle Scale: A simple list of hotels -- phones and addresses but no websites.

Monte Cimone: The mountain's 50 km of trails, text in Italian and a table.

Getting to Monte Cimone: An easy-to-follow map that also shows how to get to Monte Abetone.

Hotels, Monte Cimone: A very brief page with the number of an agent to contact.

Last thing: the Monti Pistoiesi are a fantastic place for mountain biking in the summer.
Have a great time!
Text by Kyle Phillips