Holiday apartment in Vallico di Sotto – medieval village and mountain trails

Vallico di Sotto has preserved the characteristic features of a medieval village. If you choose a holiday apartment in Vallico di Sotto, you can plan your trip around historical traces, local traditions and paths through the Tuscan landscape. Direct access by car is one of the practical factors to consider when planning your journey.

Holiday apartment in Vallico di Sotto: village history and mountain trails

In 1357, the church of Vallico Sotto was elevated to an independent parish and definitively dedicated to San Giacomo Maggiore. The Chiesa di San Jacopo in Vallico di Sotto contains a Gothic triptych dated 1420 and attributed to Bernardino del Castelletto. It depicts the Madonna and Child between Saints Jacopo and Cristoforo.

In the area around Vallico di Sotto, female and hermaphroditic bronze statuettes approximately 2,500 years old were found in the Grotta di Casteltendine, which is also known as Tana, Grotta di Castelvenere and Buca di Casteltendine, in 1975. The tradition of playing palla elastica in Vallico di Sotto probably dates back to the ancient Romans. Like Fabbriche, Vallico Sotto was also a centre of iron processing and therefore attracted Lombard craftsmen. Along the route near Vallico Sotto, there is also a marble icon from 1674 on an old wall.

Hiking between Tuscany and Monte Palodina

An easy, less demanding hike on unpaved roads around Vallico di Sotto offers mountain panoramas, clear mountain air and direct access to the Tuscan landscape. The Vallico Sotto–Vallico Sopra (654 m)–San Luigi (870 m)–Foce Palodina (1084 m)–Monte Palodina (1170 m)–Foce Pompanella (940 m)–Vallico Sotto (480 m) circular route also starts and ends in Vallico Sotto (480 m). The unpaved surface defines the character of this easy hike. The circular route, by contrast, sets a different pace for the day: from the starting and finishing point at 480 metres, it leads up to Monte Palodina at 1170 metres and then returns to Vallico Sotto via Foce Pompanella.

Sentiero del Lupo and expansive mountain views

In the area around Vallico di Sotto, the small church on the San Luigi mountain pasture was converted into an information point on the Sentiero del Lupo. The Sentiero del Lupo can begin at an old mill on the Turrite Cava, at the confluence with the Rio Silvano; from there, a mule track along the Rio Silvano leads to Vallico Sotto. The summit of Monte Palodina can be reached from the Sentiero del Lupo via a detour of a few minutes. From there, the view extends across the Apuan Alps and the entire Garfagnana to the green peaks of the Apennines. The short detour to the summit adds a separate mountain-view section to the trail; at the Rio Silvano, by contrast, the mule track leads to Vallico Sotto.

More places for your planning

Antisciana, Forte Dei Marmi, Viareggio, Sant'Anna di Stazzema, Villa Basilica, Marlia, Fosciandora, Campolemisi

For the higher-level travel overview: Lucca.