The Apuan Alps, a mountain range 60 km long and 25 km wide, are considered a true paradise for trekking enthusiasts, with their network of more than a hundred trails, climbing routes and via ferrata roads, including that of Mount Procinto, which, opened in 1893, is the oldest in Italy; the numerous caves and karst cavities also make them very interesting for speleology enthusiasts, and the fact that they host, among the flora and fauna, about 50 percent of the biodiversity of the whole of Tuscany, including some endemics and rare species also make them a coveted destination for naturalists; moreover, the heights they touch, the highest peak being that of Pisanino which reaches 1946 meters, combined with their proximity to the sea give breathtaking views.
Since 1985, thanks to a popular initiative law, the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps has also been established for the purpose of environmental and landscape protection, but the Park is at the center of a heated debate between environmentalists, stone industrialists, municipal administrations and the Region because of the gradual reduction of the area of environmental protection, which has been reduced from the initial 500 km² to the current 200 km² to encourage marble quarrying.
Beyond the Park area, the problem of the significant impact of quarries on the landscape and the environment affects many areas of the chain, particularly in the Carraresi valleys, so it may happen that a path runs alongside a quarry yard, passages that are in any case evocative and loaded with meanings about the human impact on nature, or that are even interrupted by marble activity.
That said, the quantity and variety of passable trails, meadows on which to stretch out and play, and very cool woods in the summer makes the Apuan Alps accessible and extremely pleasant to every level of mountain passion, and allows one to spend even several days in the highlands, always discovering new and surprising peaks and trails.
There are about 20 active refuges in the Apuan Alps; we point out a few in the province of Massa Carrara.
The Carrara refuge, in the municipality of the same name, is located at an altitude of 1,320 meters in Campocecina and is owned by the Cittadina section of the CAI. It is open year-round and has 36 beds and a restaurant that also prepares snacks and sandwiches for those who want to refuel before starting or resuming the hike.
From the Carrara refuge, it takes just a few minutes to reach the meadows of Cempocecina, an ideal place for those who want to enjoy some relaxation in the highlands but also an important junction for the province’s hiking trails. From here the choice is wide, including the possibility of climbing to the summit of Mount Sagro (1749m) or the easier Borla (1469).
From here, in about 4 hours of walking you can reach the Garnerone Hut, a beautiful prefabricated wooden hut renovated in 2014 near the village of Vinca, in the municipality of Fivizzano, near the Fonte della Vacchereccia spring. Inside the hut it is possible to stay overnight, 18 beds are available, and cook. To gain access, it is necessary to apply for the keys from the CAI section of Carrara, which manages it. The Garnerone Hut is an excellent support point for ascents to Mounts Grondilice (1807), Garnerone (1745) and Pizzo d’Uccello (1781), as well as for numerous traverses.
In Pian della Fioba, in the municipality of Massa, at 900 meters above sea level is the Rifugio Città di Massa, opened in 1966 and owned by the CAI section of Massa, with a restaurant and 25 beds. Many hiking and mountain bike trails start from here, and it is a short distance from the renowned rock faces of Monte Altissimo, with particularly popular climbing routes. The refuge’s location also makes it possible to visit the historic village of Antona and enjoy a swim in the cold natural pools of the Frigido River.
Five minutes from the refuge is the Pietro Pellegrini Botanical Garden, an alpine garden in which it is possible to participate in guided tours to discover the many plant species found within it, among the most significant and rarest in the Apuan Alps.
Also in the municipality of Massa, at Campaniletti is the Nello Conti Refuge, at an altitude of 1442 meters. This refuge, too, is owned by the municipal CAI section and was built entirely by hand over eight years by CAI members and residents of the nearby villages of Resceto, Forno and Casette free of charge and voluntarily; it has 24 beds available and can be eaten by reservation.
The refuge is located in a decidedly strategic position for those wishing to cross the Via Vandelli and climb to the summit of Mounts Tambura (1890), Pisanino (1946), Sella (1739), Cavallo (1895), Alto di Sella (1723), and Contrario (1789). It is also a stop on the Sentiero Italia (a CAI trail that crosses the entire peninsula).
The Aronte bivouac, not far from the Focolaccia pass, between the Tambura and Cavallo mountains, in the municipality of Massa, was inaugurated in 1902 and is the first refuge built in the Apuan Alps. In recent years this building has become a symbol of the environmentalist struggles to safeguard the Apuan Alps because in the years between 2019 and 2021, the possibility had opened up that the activity of the Piastramarina quarry, which over the years has significantly lowered the level of the pass, might make it necessary to tear it down. Thanks to intense mobilization in 2021, the Ministry of Culture recognized it as a “property of historical and artistic interest” and decreed its salvation. It is open in the winter months alvato. In 1920, physicist Enrico Fermi stayed in this bivouac. It is managed by CAI Massa, and has 8 bunks.